Mental health therapist vs social worker

The differences between mental health therapists and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mental health therapist, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a mental health therapist has an average salary of $50,259, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a mental health therapist include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Mental health therapist vs social worker overview

	Mental Health Therapist	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$50,259	$50,102
Hourly rate	$24.16	$24.09
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	114,386	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	2

What does a mental health therapist do?

The job of mental health therapists is to guide individuals, groups, couples, and families with problems that are impacting their well-being and mental health. Their duties and responsibilities include encouraging clients to talk about their experiences, examining issues that may affect mental health such as substance abuse and bullying, and assisting clients in defining their goals and action plans. Mental health therapists are also responsible for developing therapeutic processes, referring clients to other services or resources like psychologists, and helping them adjust to life changes.

What does a social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Mental health therapist vs social worker salary

Mental health therapists and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Therapist	Social Worker
Average salary	$50,259	$50,102
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $70,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Oregon
Best paying company	Tykes And Teens	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Government

Differences between mental health therapist and social worker education

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

	Mental Health Therapist	Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Mental health therapist vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between mental health therapists' and social workers' demographics:

	Mental Health Therapist	Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	13%

Differences between mental health therapist and social worker 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

Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

Mental health therapist vs social worker 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 social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Mental Health Therapist
Mental Health Therapist vs Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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