Mental health professional vs licensed professional counselor

The differences between mental health professionals 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 professional and a licensed professional counselor. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, 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 licensed professional counselor are patients, social work, and LPC.

Mental health professional vs licensed professional counselor overview

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Professional Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,119	$94,675
Hourly rate	$23.61	$45.52
Growth rate	9%	6%
Number of jobs	109,499	153,612
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Master's Degree, 48%
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 licensed professional counselor do?

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 professional vs licensed professional counselor salary

Mental health professionals and licensed professional counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Professional Counselor
Average salary	$49,119	$94,675
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $70,000	Between $73,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	Cupertino, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Wellpath	Bloomberg
Best paying industry	Finance	Real Estate

Differences between mental health professional and licensed professional counselor education

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

	Mental Health Professional	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

Mental health professional vs licensed professional counselor demographics

Here are the differences between mental health professionals' and licensed professional counselors' demographics:

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Professional Counselor
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%	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%

Differences between mental health professional and licensed professional counselor 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.

Licensed professional counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Provide clinical supervision to LPC candidates, contract clinicians and counseling psychology practicum/internship students.
Assign, direct, and provide supervision of screening assessment complete by LPC and LCSW.
Conduct intakes and assessments on new admissions and recommend placement into services base on ASAM criteria.
Coordinate with the patient's family, attending physician, other hospitals and agencies following HIPAA standards.
Specialize in OCD and animal assist psychotherapy.

Mental health professional vs licensed professional counselor skills

Common mental health professional skills

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

Common licensed professional counselor skills

Patients, 13%
Social Work, 12%
LPC, 10%
Real Estate, 10%
Individual Therapy, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 6%

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Mental Health Professional
Mental Health Professional vs Licensed Professional Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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