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The differences between mental health practitioners and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a therapist has an average salary of $55,943, 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 therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.
| Mental Health Practitioner | Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,628 | $55,943 |
| Hourly rate | $24.34 | $26.90 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 140,365 | 159,770 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 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 therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.
Mental health practitioners and therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Practitioner | Therapist | |
| Average salary | $50,628 | $55,943 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $71,000 | Between $39,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Dignity Health | Childhelp |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Government |
There are a few differences between a mental health practitioner and a therapist in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Practitioner | Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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 practitioners' and therapists' demographics:
| Mental Health Practitioner | Therapist | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| 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, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 12% |