Mental health worker vs mental health technician

The differences between mental health workers and mental health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health worker has an average salary of $41,081, which is higher than the $32,118 average annual salary of a mental health technician.

The top three skills for a mental health worker include patients, crisis intervention and social work. The most important skills for a mental health technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Mental health worker vs mental health technician overview

	Mental Health Worker	Mental Health Technician
Yearly salary	$41,081	$32,118
Hourly rate	$19.75	$15.44
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	144,879	103,710
Job satisfaction	1	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	45	34
Years of experience	4	-

What does a mental health worker do?

A mental health worker is an individual who provides basic care and therapy to patients who are inflicted with mental disabilities or developmental disabilities. Mental health workers assist patients with their daily activities, monitor their conditions, and administer therapeutic care. They may be directly supervised by a registered nurse and can work in facilities such as psychiatric hospitals and residential mental health facilities. They may also help develop treatment plans and strategies with other staff members to best meet patient needs.

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.

Mental health worker vs mental health technician salary

Mental health workers and mental health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Worker	Mental Health Technician
Average salary	$41,081	$32,118
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $59,000	Between $25,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	California	Vermont
Best paying company	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory	CARE
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between mental health worker and mental health technician education

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

	Mental Health Worker	Mental Health Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Mental health worker vs mental health technician demographics

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

	Mental Health Worker	Mental Health Technician
Average age	45	34
Gender ratio	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between mental health worker and mental health technician duties and responsibilities

Mental health worker example responsibilities.

Respond to and assist in behavioral codes working as a team member to successfully manage patient using methods obtain in CPI training
Train in provision of CPI, CPR, food handling, infection control and basic nursing care.
Provide direct care to patients under direction and guidance of professional nursing personnel within a mental illness psychiatric outpatient hospital.
Assist patients in becoming accustom to hospital routine and encourage them to participate in social and recreational activities to promote rehabilitation.
Provide referrals to appropriate multidisciplinary services, including mental health, drug/alcohol rehabilitation services, and medical and physical/occupational therapy services.
Conduct crisis stabilization via sanction CPI techniques with staff assistance.

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

Mental health worker vs mental health technician skills

Common mental health worker skills

Patients, 20%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Social Work, 6%
CPR, 5%
Vital Signs, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

Common mental health technician skills

Patients, 26%
Vital Signs, 7%
CPR, 6%
Social Work, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%
Patient Safety, 4%

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Mental Health Worker
Mental Health Worker vs Mental Health Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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