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The differences between mental health counselors and mental health clinicians 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 mental health clinician. Additionally, a mental health clinician has an average salary of $54,359, 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 mental health clinician are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,471 | $54,359 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $26.13 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 110,752 | 91,347 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| 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 Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.
Mental health counselors and mental health clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Average salary | $49,471 | $54,359 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services | City and County of Denver Government |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a mental health clinician in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and mental health clinicians' demographics:
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |