Primary therapist vs mental health consultant

The differences between primary therapists and mental health consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a primary therapist and a mental health consultant. Additionally, a primary therapist has an average salary of $59,826, which is higher than the $51,006 average annual salary of a mental health consultant.

The top three skills for a primary therapist include patients, social work and group therapy sessions. The most important skills for a mental health consultant are healthcare, substance abuse, and patients.

Primary therapist vs mental health consultant overview

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Consultant
Yearly salary	$59,826	$51,006
Hourly rate	$28.76	$24.52
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	85,127	127,233
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

What does a primary therapist do?

Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.

What does a mental health consultant do?

A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.

Primary therapist vs mental health consultant salary

Primary therapists and mental health consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Consultant
Average salary	$59,826	$51,006
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $83,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Thousand Oaks, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between primary therapist and mental health consultant education

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

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Consultant
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Primary therapist vs mental health consultant demographics

Here are the differences between primary therapists' and mental health consultants' demographics:

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Consultant
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between primary therapist and mental health consultant duties and responsibilities

Primary therapist example responsibilities.

Case managing, intakes, group and individual session, treatment plans, OASAS standards
Provide clinical therapy for severely emotionally disturb adolescents and their families to aid in the rehabilitation process.
Perform crisis intervention, including management of difficult or resistant patients, utilizing clinically appropriate accept techniques and methods.
Assist in development of extend hour IOP and PHP program.
experience, IOP, individual sessions, assessments, case management.
Assist in developing and assessing progress on individual rehabilitation plans.

Mental health consultant example responsibilities.

Serve as resource person for family health physicians at clinic on managing psychotropic medications for medical patients with psychiatric problems.
Evaluate patients for psychiatric and behavioral health issues; make recommendations regarding treatment measures, including medications and non-pharmacological treatments.
Supervise residential staff and provide individual and group counseling services in rehabilitation centers.
Provide occupational therapy consultation services to center's authorities to enhance intern's rehabilitation.
Program communication and development working with service providers, healthcare association and organizations to establish a state-wide tobacco treatment safety network.
Analyze and compare relate cases of past and present communicable diseases and STDs incidence to identify disease trends or patterns.

Primary therapist vs mental health consultant skills

Common primary therapist skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Eating Disorders, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Common mental health consultant skills

Healthcare, 14%
Substance Abuse, 12%
Patients, 11%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Social Work, 9%
Patient Care, 5%

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Primary Therapist vs Mental Health Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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