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Mental health technician vs in home therapist

The differences between mental health technicians and in home therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an in home therapist has an average salary of $51,706, which is higher than the $32,118 average annual salary of a mental health technician.

The top three skills for a mental health technician include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for an in home therapist are social work, community resources, and community agencies.

Mental health technician vs in home therapist overview

Mental Health TechnicianIn Home Therapist
Yearly salary$32,118$51,706
Hourly rate$15.44$24.86
Growth rate9%17%
Number of jobs103,710113,993
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age3441
Years of experience--

What does a mental health technician do?

A mental health technician's primary responsibility is to provide care and assistance to patients with mental health issues. Their tasks mainly revolve around administering scheduled and prescribed medication, monitoring vital signs, assisting during therapy sessions, and assessing patients' progress and behavior. They may also have administrative support tasks such as processing necessary documentation, preparing reports, managing schedules, and even reaching out to patients' guardians and families. A mental health technician may also build a healthy rapport with patients, giving them guidance and positive influence.

What does an in home therapist do?

An in-home therapist provides case management, counseling, resource system development, support system development, and crisis intervention services for family members and children. They provide goal-oriented and structured therapy on referral issues for families that help recover from neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, or physical abuse. Also, they provide time-limited, goal-oriented, and structured therapy in the families' natural environment for families that need help to recover from neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and physical abuse.

Mental health technician vs in home therapist salary

Mental health technicians and in home therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Mental Health TechnicianIn Home Therapist
Average salary$32,118$51,706
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $39,000Between $40,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CAMount Vernon, WA
Highest paying stateVermontCalifornia
Best paying companyCAREBaptist Health Care
Best paying industryHealth CareGovernment

Differences between mental health technician and in home therapist education

There are a few differences between a mental health technician and an in home therapist in terms of educational background:

Mental Health TechnicianIn Home Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Mental health technician vs in home therapist demographics

Here are the differences between mental health technicians' and in home therapists' demographics:

Mental Health TechnicianIn Home Therapist
Average age3441
Gender ratioMale, 36.0% Female, 64.0%Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage15%12%

Differences between mental health technician and in home therapist duties and responsibilities

Mental health technician example responsibilities.

  • Prevent and manage aggressive behavior among patients and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
  • Assist and organize workshops consisting of education, personal self-defense, CPR, and other techniques relating to mental health patients.
  • Assist in taking care of mental health patients, doing rounds on the ward, helping patients with compassion and care.
  • Apply immeasurable levels of compassion to preserve and safeguard the dignity of patients at all times.
  • Observe patient behaviors, if patients become physically violent, CPI training restraint techniques may become necessary.
  • Conduct patient rounds, assist with ADL care, offer therapeutic support, and provide written reports on assign patients
  • Show more

In home therapist example responsibilities.

  • Create and lead PTSD group for women, depression and stress management groups for men and women.
  • Provide therapy to adolescents and families with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders from diverse backgrounds in a rehabilitation setting.
  • Co-Coordinate family therapy program for adolescents in therapeutic community (TC) /residential drug rehabilitation facility.
  • Apply behavioral analysis instruction for a student with autism concentrating on communication, socialization, self-help skills and community skills.
  • Collaborate with DCF and other community providers.
  • Conduct MST family assessments which identify and engage caregivers and outside family support systems in intensive home base therapy.
  • Show more

Mental health technician vs in home therapist skills

Common mental health technician skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • Vital Signs, 7%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Social Work, 5%
  • Crisis Intervention, 5%
  • Patient Safety, 4%
Common in home therapist skills
  • Social Work, 26%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Community Agencies, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 4%
  • Group Therapy, 4%
  • Mental Health, 4%

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