Psychotherapist vs mental health therapist

The differences between psychotherapists and mental health therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychotherapist has an average salary of $69,921, which is higher than the $50,259 average annual salary of a mental health therapist.

The top three skills for a psychotherapist include social work, patients and individual therapy. The most important skills for a mental health therapist are social work, patients, and mental health.

Psychotherapist vs mental health therapist overview

	Psychotherapist	Mental Health Therapist
Yearly salary	$69,921	$50,259
Hourly rate	$33.62	$24.16
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	20,520	114,386
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	47	45
Years of experience	-	4

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 mental health therapist do?

The job of mental health therapists is to guide individuals, groups, couples, and families with problems that are impacting their well-being and mental health. Their duties and responsibilities include encouraging clients to talk about their experiences, examining issues that may affect mental health such as substance abuse and bullying, and assisting clients in defining their goals and action plans. Mental health therapists are also responsible for developing therapeutic processes, referring clients to other services or resources like psychologists, and helping them adjust to life changes.

Psychotherapist vs mental health therapist salary

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

	Psychotherapist	Mental Health Therapist
Average salary	$69,921	$50,259
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $111,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Connecticut
Best paying company	Sutter Health	Tykes And Teens
Best paying industry	Professional	Non Profits

Differences between psychotherapist and mental health therapist education

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

	Psychotherapist	Mental Health Therapist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Psychotherapist vs mental health therapist demographics

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

	Psychotherapist	Mental Health Therapist
Average age	47	45
Gender ratio	Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
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, 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	20%	15%

Differences between psychotherapist and mental health therapist 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.

Mental health therapist example responsibilities.

Create and lead PTSD group for women, depression and stress management groups for men and women.
Collaborate with patients to develop individualize treatment plans and evaluate plans periodically to monitor progress towards achieving identify goals and objectives.
Provide clinical supervision for MFT intern and participate in peer to peer reviews.
Receive training in diagnoses, physical restraints and CPR.
Care for children with autism and document daily data collection.
Utilize therapy techniques from various modalities including EMDR, TF-CBT, and DBT

Psychotherapist vs mental health therapist skills

Common psychotherapist skills

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

Common mental health therapist skills

Social Work, 35%
Patients, 10%
Mental Health, 6%
Group Therapy Sessions, 5%
Mental Health Issues, 3%
Community Resources, 3%

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Psychotherapist vs Mental Health Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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