Primary therapist vs mental health practitioner

The differences between primary therapists and mental health practitioners 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 practitioner. Additionally, a primary therapist has an average salary of $59,826, which is higher than the $50,628 average annual salary of a mental health practitioner.

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

Primary therapist vs mental health practitioner overview

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Practitioner
Yearly salary	$59,826	$50,628
Hourly rate	$28.76	$24.34
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	85,127	140,365
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
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 practitioner do?

Mental health practitioners are medical professionals who work with patients who have mental health issues such as schizophrenia, split personality disorder, and depression. These practitioners are required to develop and implement patient care plans for adults with severe mental disabilities while providing mental health services to attain improved mental health. They must make sure that patients did not spit out their medicines by observing post medication administration with the nurse. Mental health practitioners must also manage therapeutic activities that will teach patients about functional living skills.

Primary therapist vs mental health practitioner salary

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

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Practitioner
Average salary	$59,826	$50,628
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $83,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Thousand Oaks, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	Finance	Non Profits

Differences between primary therapist and mental health practitioner education

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

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Practitioner
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Primary therapist vs mental health practitioner demographics

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

	Primary Therapist	Mental Health Practitioner
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%	Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9%
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 practitioner 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 practitioner example responsibilities.

Manage other MHA's in their duties and help them problem solving in tense and stressful situations.
Provide case management, crisis intervention and counseling for patients diagnose with co-occurring disorders in a residential treatment setting.
Case management, CBT/DBT, vocational rehabilitation, benefit supports and application processing.
Monitor patients prescribe psychotropic medications assure compliance and accuracy, and assess effectiveness and side effects.
Provide in-home services to diverse individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses, developmental disability and chemical dependency concerns.
Develop and facilitate a psycho-educational program for recovery from depression and PTSD.

Primary therapist vs mental health practitioner 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 practitioner skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 9%
Mental Health, 8%
Family Therapy, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%
In-Home, 5%

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Primary Therapist vs Mental Health Practitioner

Updated January 8, 2025

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