Mental health professional vs mental health case manager

The differences between mental health professionals and mental health case managers 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 mental health case manager. Additionally, a mental health professional has an average salary of $49,119, which is higher than the $42,574 average annual salary of a mental health case manager.

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

Mental health professional vs mental health case manager overview

	Mental Health Professional	Mental Health Case Manager
Yearly salary	$49,119	$42,574
Hourly rate	$23.61	$20.47
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	109,499	128,509
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	45	45
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 mental health case manager do?

A Mental Health Care Manager supervises the development and implementation of care plans for clients. They regularly check on their clients and make recommendations for improving clients health care needs.

Mental health professional vs mental health case manager salary

Mental health professionals and mental health case managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Professional	Mental Health Case Manager
Average salary	$49,119	$42,574
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $70,000	Between $33,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Cupertino, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Wellpath	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between mental health professional and mental health case manager education

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

	Mental Health Professional	Mental Health Case Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Mental health professional vs mental health case manager demographics

Here are the differences between mental health professionals' and mental health case managers' demographics:

	Mental Health Professional	Mental Health Case Manager
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between mental health professional and mental health case manager 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.

Mental health case manager example responsibilities.

Manage the care of patients with tuberculosis (TB) during their hospitalization and their discharge follow-up care.
Coordinate, collaborate, and refer to various community agencies to assist in meeting consumer's needs and maximizing their rehabilitation.
Perform intensive early intervention behavior therapy for children diagnose on the autism spectrum disorder using the principles of apply behavior analysis.
Organize and participate in the development, review and evaluation of IFSP meeting.
Assist the individual to access activities, supports and services identify in the ISP.
Coordinate cases with supervisor, team members, providers, DCF and attorneys as needed.

Mental health professional vs mental health case manager skills

Common mental health professional skills

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

Common mental health case manager skills

Mental Health, 15%
Social Work, 14%
Patients, 8%
Management Services, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

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Mental Health Professional
Mental Health Professional vs Mental Health Case Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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