Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between mental health program managers and mental health consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a mental health program manager, becoming a mental health consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mental health program manager has an average salary of $74,778, which is higher than the $51,006 average annual salary of a mental health consultant.
The top three skills for a mental health program manager include social work, behavioral health and mental health. The most important skills for a mental health consultant are healthcare, substance abuse, and patients.
| Mental Health Program Manager | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $74,778 | $51,006 |
| Hourly rate | $35.95 | $24.52 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 136,598 | 127,233 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 47 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A mental health program manager is in charge of creating and overseeing mental health programs in their organization. They are tasked with following up with patients, designing programs, monitoring program progress, working with other health professionals to ensure patient concerns are addressed, and meeting with patients' families to offer emotional and logistical support. They need to develop strict guidelines to help with mental health, develop policies with other company leaders to ensure patient needs are met, and manage the databases and patient charts.
A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.
Mental health program managers and mental health consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Program Manager | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Average salary | $74,778 | $51,006 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $111,000 | Between $34,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Fraser Ltd | Guidehouse |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Government |
There are a few differences between a mental health program manager and a mental health consultant in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Program Manager | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between mental health program managers' and mental health consultants' demographics:
| Mental Health Program Manager | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 12% | 15% |