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The differences between mental health technicians and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a residential counselor has an average salary of $34,117, 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 a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.
| Mental Health Technician | Residential Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $32,118 | $34,117 |
| Hourly rate | $15.44 | $16.40 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 103,710 | 81,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 34 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
Mental health technicians and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Technician | Residential Counselor | |
| Average salary | $32,118 | $34,117 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Washington |
| Best paying company | CARE | The Evergreens |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between a mental health technician and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Technician | Residential Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 technicians' and residential counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Technician | Residential Counselor | |
| Average age | 34 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |