Mental health professional vs licensed social worker

The differences between mental health professionals and licensed social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mental health professional, becoming a licensed social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a licensed social worker has an average salary of $57,005, 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 social worker are social work, patients, and home health.

Mental health professional vs licensed social worker overview

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Social Worker
Yearly salary	$49,119	$57,005
Hourly rate	$23.61	$27.41
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	109,499	66,130
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	2

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 social worker do?

Licensed Social Workers are duly and legally recognized to carry out activities related to social work. They identify individuals or groups of people in need and assess what kind of help they require. They may assist these people in connecting to agencies that would cater to their needs. Licensed Social Workers also help people cope with their challenges. They are responsible for crafting treatment plans or well-being improvement plans for the individuals they help. They may also be called on during times of crisis to provide emotional support to the individuals involved.

Mental health professional vs licensed social worker salary

Mental health professionals and licensed social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Social Worker
Average salary	$49,119	$57,005
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $70,000	Between $41,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Cupertino, CA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Wellpath	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between mental health professional and licensed social worker education

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

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Mental health professional vs licensed social worker demographics

Here are the differences between mental health professionals' and licensed social workers' demographics:

	Mental Health Professional	Licensed Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%	Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9%
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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	13%

Differences between mental health professional and licensed social worker 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 social worker example responsibilities.

Foster self-determination of patients by evaluating for vocational rehabilitation that includes employment, volunteering, or education opportunities.
Evaluate and provide psychotherapy services to patients diagnose with serious and persistent mental illness and/or chemical dependency within an inpatient setting.
Provide clinical supervision to MSW students.
Supervise and train MSW students during their final concentration practicum.
Plan and facilitate trainings that address trauma exposure and the impact of compassion fatigue on administrative staff.
Provide medically relate social services to residents in a sub-acute, short term rehabilitation unit.

Mental health professional vs licensed social worker skills

Common mental health professional skills

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

Common licensed social worker skills

Social Work, 29%
Patients, 13%
Home Health, 11%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Substance Abuse, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

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Mental Health Professional
Mental Health Professional vs Licensed Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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