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The differences between mental health counselors and mental health therapists 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 therapist. Additionally, a mental health therapist has an average salary of $50,259, 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 therapist are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,471 | $50,259 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $24.16 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 110,752 | 114,386 |
| 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.
The job of mental health therapists is to guide individuals, groups, couples, and families with problems that are impacting their well-being and mental health. Their duties and responsibilities include encouraging clients to talk about their experiences, examining issues that may affect mental health such as substance abuse and bullying, and assisting clients in defining their goals and action plans. Mental health therapists are also responsible for developing therapeutic processes, referring clients to other services or resources like psychologists, and helping them adjust to life changes.
Mental health counselors and mental health therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Therapist | |
| Average salary | $49,471 | $50,259 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services | Tykes And Teens |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a mental health therapist in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and mental health therapists' demographics:
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health Therapist | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7% |
| 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% |