Mental health professional vs family therapist

The differences between mental health professionals and family 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 professional and a family therapist. Additionally, a family therapist has an average salary of $50,774, which is higher than the $49,119 average annual salary of a mental health professional.

The top three skills for a mental health professional include social work, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a family therapist are social work, patients, and rehabilitation.

Mental health professional vs family therapist overview

	Mental Health Professional	Family Therapist
Yearly salary	$49,119	$50,774
Hourly rate	$23.61	$24.41
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	109,499	106,982
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a mental health professional do?

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.

What does a family therapist do?

A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.

Mental health professional vs family therapist salary

Mental health professionals and family therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Professional	Family Therapist
Average salary	$49,119	$50,774
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $70,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Cupertino, CA	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Wellpath	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between mental health professional and family therapist education

There are a few differences between a mental health professional and a family therapist in terms of educational background:

	Mental Health Professional	Family 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

Mental health professional vs family therapist demographics

Here are the differences between mental health professionals' and family therapists' demographics:

	Mental Health Professional	Family Therapist
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%	Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2%
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, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	15%	6%

Differences between mental health professional and family therapist duties and responsibilities

Mental health professional example responsibilities.

Lead training for staff on specific counseling interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Monitor and manage preventative behavior with 2-3 MHA'S team and carry out a constructive routine with patients.
Provide individual treatment using CBT, DBT and motivational interviewing techniques to detainees with mental health and/or behavioral concerns.
Develop curriculum for and facilitate mental health groups including DBT education.
Provide comprehensive, recovery orient mental health skill building and support to patients with psychiatric disorder, including co-occurring diagnosis
Work with children and families as a psycho-social rehabilitation provider and qualify medical health assistant.

Family therapist example responsibilities.

Complete documentation to medicaid standards.
Create maximum billable Medicaid hours and submitting necessary paperwork for Medicaid billing.
Apply behavioral analysis instruction for a student with autism concentrating on communication, socialization, self-help skills and community skills.
Receive and process referrals from DCF and community-base case managers for individuals suspect as substance abusers.

Mental health professional vs family therapist skills

Common mental health professional skills

Social Work, 20%
Patients, 19%
CPR, 7%
Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
Clinical Supervision, 5%
Clinical Documentation, 5%

Common family therapist skills

Social Work, 27%
Patients, 6%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Community Resources, 4%
Mental Health Issues, 4%
Group Therapy, 3%

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Mental Health Professional vs Family Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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