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The differences between psychiatric social workers and family counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a psychiatric social worker, becoming a family counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a psychiatric social worker has an average salary of $59,144, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.
The top three skills for a psychiatric social worker include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.
| Psychiatric Social Worker | Family Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $59,144 | $41,510 |
| Hourly rate | $28.43 | $19.96 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 57,284 | 93,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A psychiatric social worker specializes in providing mental health treatments and other services to patients and their families, referring them to other agencies and programs as needed. They conduct assessments and interviews to determine the condition of patients, devise specific treatment and care plans, update and maintain patient records, conduct regular counseling sessions, and monitor the progress of every patient to ensure their health and welfare. They may also provide interventions, train junior psychiatric social workers, and conduct reviews and evaluations on existing care plans.
A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.
Psychiatric social workers and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Social Worker | Family Counselor | |
| Average salary | $59,144 | $41,510 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $79,000 | Between $27,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Highmark | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric social worker and a family counselor in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Social Worker | Family Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between psychiatric social workers' and family counselors' demographics:
| Psychiatric Social Worker | Family Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 13% | 6% |