Mental health therapist vs job counselor

The differences between mental health therapists and job counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health therapist has an average salary of $50,259, which is higher than the $49,977 average annual salary of a job counselor.

The top three skills for a mental health therapist include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a job counselor are training programs, at-risk youth, and substance abuse.

Mental health therapist vs job counselor overview

	Mental Health Therapist	Job Counselor
Yearly salary	$50,259	$49,977
Hourly rate	$24.16	$24.03
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	114,386	103,416
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	4	-

Mental health therapist vs job counselor salary

Mental health therapists and job counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Therapist	Job Counselor
Average salary	$50,259	$49,977
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $70,000	Between $26,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Tykes And Teens	-
Best paying industry	Non Profits	-

Differences between mental health therapist and job counselor education

There are a few differences between a mental health therapist and a job counselor in terms of educational background:

	Mental Health Therapist	Job Counselor
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Mental health therapist vs job counselor demographics

Here are the differences between mental health therapists' and job counselors' demographics:

	Mental Health Therapist	Job Counselor
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	11%

Differences between mental health therapist and job counselor duties and responsibilities

Mental health therapist example responsibilities.

Create and lead PTSD group for women, depression and stress management groups for men and women.
Collaborate with patients to develop individualize treatment plans and evaluate plans periodically to monitor progress towards achieving identify goals and objectives.
Provide clinical supervision for MFT intern and participate in peer to peer reviews.
Receive training in diagnoses, physical restraints and CPR.
Care for children with autism and document daily data collection.
Utilize therapy techniques from various modalities including EMDR, TF-CBT, and DBT

Job counselor example responsibilities.

Work with and case manage families receiving TANF financial benefits and with customers receiving displace worker financial help.
Monitor caseworkers to ensure rehabilitation services are properly coordinate to aid clients in achieving self-sufficiency.
Utilize aforementioned partnerships to assist TANF recipients in obtaining employment which lead to career advancement and case closure.
Addressed domestic violence and substance abuse issues, housing and all community resources relate to successful rehabilitation.
Represent elected officials & county management in civil employment litigation matters and grievance hearings.
Draft EEOC OFCCP, DOL, DFEH and PERB position statements and responses.

Mental health therapist vs job counselor skills

Common mental health therapist skills

Social Work, 35%
Patients, 10%
Mental Health, 6%
Group Therapy Sessions, 5%
Mental Health Issues, 3%
Community Resources, 3%

Common job counselor skills

Training Programs, 17%
at-Risk Youth, 11%
Substance Abuse, 10%
GED, 10%
Community Resources, 9%
Vocational Training, 8%

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Mental Health Therapist
Mental Health Therapist vs Job Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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