Psychotherapist vs forensic psychologist

The differences between psychotherapists and forensic psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a forensic psychologist has an average salary of $83,065, 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 forensic psychologist are psychological evaluations, mental illness, and risk assessments.

Psychotherapist vs forensic psychologist overview

	Psychotherapist	Forensic Psychologist
Yearly salary	$69,921	$83,065
Hourly rate	$33.62	$39.94
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	20,520	11,802
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

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 forensic psychologist do?

Forensic Psychologists are responsible for evaluating and treating criminal behavior. Their duties include conducting forensic assessments, developing rehabilitation programs, reviewing offender treatments, carrying out research projects, and carrying out forensic statistical analysis. They are responsible for undertaking expert witness testimonies, assisting in policy development, and creating forensic staff training programs. Forensic Psychologists also facilitate crisis negotiation, interpret psychological tests, and help in the supervision of psychology trainees. They use their expertise in helping improve organizational outcomes.

Psychotherapist vs forensic psychologist salary

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

	Psychotherapist	Forensic Psychologist
Average salary	$69,921	$83,065
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $111,000	Between $56,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	California
Best paying company	Sutter Health	Wellpath
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between psychotherapist and forensic psychologist education

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

	Psychotherapist	Forensic Psychologist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Social Work	Clinical Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Psychotherapist vs forensic psychologist demographics

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

	Psychotherapist	Forensic Psychologist
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%	Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3%
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, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	20%	20%

Differences between psychotherapist and forensic 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.

Forensic psychologist example responsibilities.

Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.
Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.

Psychotherapist vs forensic psychologist skills

Common psychotherapist skills

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

Common forensic psychologist skills

Psychological Evaluations, 12%
Mental Illness, 11%
Risk Assessments, 11%
Forensic Evaluations, 10%
Mental Health, 8%
Psychological Tests, 8%

Psychotherapist vs. similar jobs

Psychotherapist related careers

Psychotherapist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Psychotherapist
Psychotherapist vs Forensic Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs