Play therapist vs child psychologist

The differences between play therapists and child psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a play therapist, becoming a child psychologist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a play therapist has an average salary of $92,351, which is higher than the $78,743 average annual salary of a child psychologist.

The top three skills for a play therapist include social work, children birth and cognitive behavioral. The most important skills for a child psychologist are autism, mental health, and family therapy.

Play therapist vs child psychologist overview

	Play Therapist	Child Psychologist
Yearly salary	$92,351	$78,743
Hourly rate	$44.40	$37.86
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	23,449	22,815
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	41	43
Years of experience	4	2

Play therapist vs child psychologist salary

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

	Play Therapist	Child Psychologist
Average salary	$92,351	$78,743
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $137,000	Between $54,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between play therapist and child psychologist education

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

	Play Therapist	Child Psychologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Northwestern University

Play therapist vs child psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between play therapists' and child psychologists' demographics:

	Play Therapist	Child Psychologist
Average age	41	43
Gender ratio	Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1%	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	12%

Differences between play therapist and child psychologist 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.

Child psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

Play therapist vs child psychologist skills

Common play therapist skills

Social Work, 21%
Children Birth, 17%
Cognitive Behavioral, 14%
Autism, 11%
Therapy Services, 3%
Language, 3%

Common child psychologist skills

Autism, 30%
Mental Health, 11%
Family Therapy, 9%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Psychological Tests, 8%
Group Therapy, 7%