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The differences between mental health professionals and community health 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 professional and a community health counselor. Additionally, a mental health professional has an average salary of $49,119, which is higher than the $43,304 average annual salary of a community health counselor.
The top three skills for a mental health professional include social work, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a community health counselor are social work, behavioral health, and patients.
| Mental Health Professional | Community Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $43,304 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $20.82 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 109,499 | 131,804 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The duties of a mental health professional will revolve around observing the behavior of patients. They are responsible for knowing their medical history, conducting consultations and assessments, diagnosing conditions, devising particular treatments and prescribing medication, and providing emotional support to patients. Furthermore, a mental health professional must coordinate with families and other mental health experts to monitor patients' behavior and develop care plans to help them in their road to recovery.
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
Mental health professionals and community health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Professional | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $43,304 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $29,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Wellpath | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a mental health professional and a community health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Professional | Community Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 professionals' and community health counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Professional | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| 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, 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% |