Psychotherapist vs clinical psychologist

The differences between psychotherapists and clinical psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical psychologist has an average salary of $97,659, which is higher than the $69,921 average annual salary of a psychotherapist.

The top three skills for a psychotherapist include social work, patients and individual therapy. The most important skills for a clinical psychologist are patients, rehabilitation, and clinical psychology.

Psychotherapist vs clinical psychologist overview

	Psychotherapist	Clinical Psychologist
Yearly salary	$69,921	$97,659
Hourly rate	$33.62	$46.95
Growth rate	6%	14%
Number of jobs	20,520	69,762
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	-	2

What does a psychotherapist do?

A Psychotherapist's responsibility is to help clients who suffer from symptoms like depression, anxiety, and other behavioral problems. They work with individuals, couples, and families.

What does a clinical psychologist do?

A clinical psychologist is a healthcare professional who treats patients with various mental disorders through one-on-one or group settings. Clinical psychologists assist their patients in identifying their psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues so that a plan of action is created to help patients achieve personal and social development. To create a patient treatment plan, clinical psychologists must interview their patients who have different mental problems. They also collaborate with professionals such as social workers, nurses, and occupational therapists to provide the right treatment to their patients.

Psychotherapist vs clinical psychologist salary

Psychotherapists and clinical psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychotherapist	Clinical Psychologist
Average salary	$69,921	$97,659
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $111,000	Between $72,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	California
Best paying company	Sutter Health	Kaiser Permanente
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between psychotherapist and clinical psychologist education

There are a few differences between a psychotherapist and a clinical psychologist in terms of educational background:

	Psychotherapist	Clinical Psychologist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Social Work	Clinical Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Psychotherapist vs clinical psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between psychotherapists' and clinical psychologists' demographics:

	Psychotherapist	Clinical Psychologist
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%	Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 4.2% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	20%	12%

Differences between psychotherapist and clinical psychologist duties and responsibilities

Psychotherapist example responsibilities.

Provide individual, group therapy and rehabilitation services for clients with co-occurring disorders, trauma, addiction, grief, etc.
Perform case management services and prepare rehabilitation plans.
Administer cognitive and personality assessments, provide written summary of results to therapists, and provide verbal feedback to patients.
Cultivate and nurture positive, productive relationships with patients, families, and community providers to promote effective coordination of resources.
Experience in evaluations of adults, adolescents and children, including personality, clinical symptoms, developmental disabilities and cognitive status.
Conduct MST assessment including review of referral information, maintain the confidentiality of all consumer care information including protect health information.

Clinical psychologist example responsibilities.

Manage high-utilizing patients with chronic health and behavioral health concerns to reduce inappropriate medical utilization and to promote better functional outcomes.
Supervise by Amanda Quayle, PsyD.
Utilize CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing techniques.
Provide CBT, DBT and psychodynamic-orient psychotherapy to adolescent and adult clients.
Intern with Dr. Ann-Marie Tripp-Pendelton, PsyD, in a therapeutic capacity.
Collaborate with a team of social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists to develop individualize treatment plans for war veterans.

Psychotherapist vs clinical psychologist skills

Common psychotherapist skills

Social Work, 19%
Patients, 15%
Individual Therapy, 13%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Mental Health, 4%
Diagnostic Assessments, 2%

Common clinical psychologist skills

Patients, 16%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Clinical Psychology, 6%
Group Therapy, 5%
Veterans, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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Psychotherapist vs Clinical Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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