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The differences between psychiatric technicians and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a therapist has an average salary of $55,943, which is higher than the $39,662 average annual salary of a psychiatric technician.
The top three skills for a psychiatric technician include patients, mental health and social work. The most important skills for a therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.
| Psychiatric Technician | Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,662 | $55,943 |
| Hourly rate | $19.07 | $26.90 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 64,888 | 159,770 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 34 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A psychiatric technician is responsible for supporting patients with mental issues and disabilities by administering treatment plans and quality therapeutic care. Psychiatric technicians assist the patients through counseling, observing their mental and social behaviors, and suggesting recreational activities to help them interact with others. They also work with other medical professionals to seek advice, especially when performing medical procedures and suggesting medications. A psychiatric technician must have excellent communication and time-management skills, especially when responding to the patients' concerns and looking after them during daily activities.
A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.
Psychiatric technicians and therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Technician | Therapist | |
| Average salary | $39,662 | $55,943 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $61,000 | Between $39,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | St. Tammany Health System | Childhelp |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric technician and a therapist in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Technician | Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between psychiatric technicians' and therapists' demographics:
| Psychiatric Technician | Therapist | |
| Average age | 34 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 12% |