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The differences between mental health counselors and mental health practitioners 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 practitioner. Additionally, a mental health practitioner has an average salary of $50,628, 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 practitioner are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Yearly salary | $49,471 | $50,628 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $24.34 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 110,752 | 140,365 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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.
Mental health practitioners are medical professionals who work with patients who have mental health issues such as schizophrenia, split personality disorder, and depression. These practitioners are required to develop and implement patient care plans for adults with severe mental disabilities while providing mental health services to attain improved mental health. They must make sure that patients did not spit out their medicines by observing post medication administration with the nurse. Mental health practitioners must also manage therapeutic activities that will teach patients about functional living skills.
Mental health counselors and mental health practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average salary | $49,471 | $50,628 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $35,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a mental health practitioner in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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 practitioners' demographics:
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% |
| 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% |