Play therapist vs social worker

The differences between play 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 play therapist, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a play therapist has an average salary of $92,351, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a play therapist include social work, children birth and cognitive behavioral. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Play therapist vs social worker overview

	Play Therapist	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$92,351	$50,102
Hourly rate	$44.40	$24.09
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	23,449	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	4	2

Play therapist vs social worker salary

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

	Play Therapist	Social Worker
Average salary	$92,351	$50,102
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $137,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between play therapist and social worker education

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

	Play Therapist	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Play therapist vs social worker demographics

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

	Play Therapist	Social Worker
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
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, 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	6%	13%

Differences between play therapist and social worker 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.

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.

Play therapist vs social worker skills

Common play therapist skills

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

Common social worker skills

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