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The differences between mental health counselors and licensed professional 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 licensed professional counselor. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, which is higher than the $49,471 average annual salary of a mental health counselor.
The top three skills for a mental health counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a licensed professional counselor are patients, social work, and LPC.
| Mental Health Counselor | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $49,471 | $94,675 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $45.52 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 110,752 | 153,612 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A licensed professional counselor is a healthcare professional who specializes in providing therapy and counseling to patients with emotional and mental health issues. They listen to their patients and utilize various techniques to address concerns and help through the healing procedures. Their duties entail conducting interviews and evaluations, performing research and assessments, studying the patients' medical histories, providing consultations, and developing treatment plans that suit every patients' needs. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor monitors and records their patients' progress, adjusting treatments and medications as necessary.
Mental health counselors and licensed professional counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Counselor | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average salary | $49,471 | $94,675 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $73,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a licensed professional counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Counselor | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and licensed professional counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Counselor | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |