Post job

Play therapist vs behavior therapist

The differences between play therapists and behavior therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a play therapist and a behavior therapist. Additionally, a play therapist has an average salary of $92,351, which is higher than the $36,864 average annual salary of a behavior therapist.

The top three skills for a play therapist include social work, children birth and cognitive behavioral. The most important skills for a behavior therapist are autism, applied behavior analysis, and behavior analysis.

Play therapist vs behavior therapist overview

Play TherapistBehavior Therapist
Yearly salary$92,351$36,864
Hourly rate$44.40$17.72
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs23,44990,578
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

Play therapist vs behavior therapist salary

Play therapists and behavior therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Play TherapistBehavior Therapist
Average salary$92,351$36,864
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $137,000Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City-Chicago, IL
Highest paying state-Alabama
Best paying company-Regis College
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between play therapist and behavior therapist education

There are a few differences between a play therapist and a behavior therapist in terms of educational background:

Play TherapistBehavior Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Play therapist vs behavior therapist demographics

Here are the differences between play therapists' and behavior therapists' demographics:

Play TherapistBehavior Therapist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 11.9% Female, 88.1%Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between play therapist and behavior therapist duties and responsibilities

Play therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
  • Organize and perform behavioral therapies for a child with autism.
  • Work with identify pre-school handicap children in order to meet the goals and objectives of their IEP's.
  • Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.
  • Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.

Behavior therapist example responsibilities.

  • Teach family members and teachers different ways to achieve cooperation with child and transfer skills to ensure an efficient learning environment.
  • Provide applied behavior analysis services to individuals diagnose with autism and other developmental disabilities to enhance their quality of life.
  • Provide basic parent education of correct implementation of ABA principles.
  • Provide one-on-one aba-base treatment to children who have been diagnose with autism and other developmental disorders.
  • Solve certify as well as first aid and CPR certify.
  • Complete all requirements need to be certify as an RBT.
  • Show more

Play therapist vs behavior therapist skills

Common play therapist skills
  • Social Work, 21%
  • Children Birth, 17%
  • Cognitive Behavioral, 14%
  • Autism, 11%
  • Therapy Services, 3%
  • Language, 3%
Common behavior therapist skills
  • Autism, 19%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 18%
  • Behavior Analysis, 10%
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder, 7%
  • Behavior Analysts, 5%
  • BCBA, 4%

Browse community and social services jobs