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The differences between mental health practitioners 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 practitioner and a licensed professional counselor. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, which is higher than the $50,628 average annual salary of a mental health practitioner.
The top three skills for a mental health practitioner include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a licensed professional counselor are patients, social work, and LPC.
| Mental Health Practitioner | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $50,628 | $94,675 |
| Hourly rate | $24.34 | $45.52 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 140,365 | 153,612 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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 practitioners and licensed professional counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Practitioner | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average salary | $50,628 | $94,675 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $71,000 | Between $73,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Dignity Health | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a mental health practitioner and a licensed professional counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Practitioner | 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 practitioners' and licensed professional counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Practitioner | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |