Psychotherapist vs rehabilitation psychologist

The differences between psychotherapists and rehabilitation psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a rehabilitation psychologist has an average salary of $79,499, 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 rehabilitation psychologist are rehabilitation, patient care, and behavior management.

Psychotherapist vs rehabilitation psychologist overview

	Psychotherapist	Rehabilitation Psychologist
Yearly salary	$69,921	$79,499
Hourly rate	$33.62	$38.22
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	20,520	13,021
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

Psychotherapist vs rehabilitation psychologist salary

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

	Psychotherapist	Rehabilitation Psychologist
Average salary	$69,921	$79,499
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $111,000	Between $54,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	-
Highest paying state	Delaware	-
Best paying company	Sutter Health	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between psychotherapist and rehabilitation psychologist education

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

	Psychotherapist	Rehabilitation Psychologist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Social Work	Clinical Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Psychotherapist vs rehabilitation psychologist demographics

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

	Psychotherapist	Rehabilitation Psychologist
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%	Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%
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, 4.0% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 3.5% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	20%	20%

Differences between psychotherapist and rehabilitation 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.

Rehabilitation psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide outpatient neuropsychological evaluations to inform and guide rehabilitation treatment planning.
Provide witness testimony regarding the care and progress of patients in the psychosocial rehabilitation program.
Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.
Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.

Psychotherapist vs rehabilitation psychologist skills

Common psychotherapist skills

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

Common rehabilitation psychologist skills

Rehabilitation, 53%
Patient Care, 19%
Behavior Management, 8%
Pain Management, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 5%
Psychological Services, 4%

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Psychotherapist vs Rehabilitation Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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