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The differences between mental health professionals and mental health practitioners 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 practitioner. Additionally, a mental health practitioner has an average salary of $50,628, 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 mental health practitioner are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Mental Health Professional | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $50,628 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $24.34 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 109,499 | 140,365 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| 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.
Mental health practitioners are medical professionals who work with patients who have mental health issues such as schizophrenia, split personality disorder, and depression. These practitioners are required to develop and implement patient care plans for adults with severe mental disabilities while providing mental health services to attain improved mental health. They must make sure that patients did not spit out their medicines by observing post medication administration with the nurse. Mental health practitioners must also manage therapeutic activities that will teach patients about functional living skills.
Mental health professionals and mental health practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Professional | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $50,628 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $35,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Wellpath | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a mental health professional and a mental health practitioner in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Professional | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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 mental health practitioners' demographics:
| Mental Health Professional | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% |
| 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, 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% |