Mental health counselor vs family counselor

The differences between mental health counselors and family counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a mental health counselor and a family counselor. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.

The top three skills for a mental health counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.

Mental health counselor vs family counselor overview

	Mental Health Counselor	Family Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,471	$41,510
Hourly rate	$23.78	$19.96
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	110,752	93,253
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a mental health counselor do?

A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.

What does a family counselor do?

A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.

Mental health counselor vs family counselor salary

Mental health counselors and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Counselor	Family Counselor
Average salary	$49,471	$41,510
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $70,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Longview, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services	Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between mental health counselor and family counselor education

There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a family counselor in terms of educational background:

	Mental Health Counselor	Family Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Mental health counselor vs family counselor demographics

Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and family counselors' demographics:

	Mental Health Counselor	Family Counselor
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%	Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	15%	6%

Differences between mental health counselor and family counselor duties and responsibilities

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Family counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Assist the clients in completing their DCF case plan, helping to remove any hindrances they may encounter.
Counsele and test patients who requesting confidential HIV testing services
Collaborate and coordinate patient care with resident/faculty physicians to provide appropriate levels of care to patients.
Receive and process referrals from DCF and community-base case managers for individuals suspect as substance abusers.
Utilize PowerPoint presentations to facilitate ongoing new student orientation, ensuring students understand rules and regulations.

Mental health counselor vs family counselor skills

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

Common family counselor skills

Social Work, 22%
Community Resources, 13%
POC, 7%
Family Support, 5%
Family Therapy, 5%
DOD, 4%

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Mental Health Counselor
Mental Health Counselor vs Family Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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