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Senior therapist vs child and family therapist

The differences between senior therapists and child and family therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior therapist and a child and family therapist. Additionally, a senior therapist has an average salary of $63,963, which is higher than the $55,339 average annual salary of a child and family therapist.

The top three skills for a senior therapist include social work, autism and mental health. The most important skills for a child and family therapist are social work, diagnosis, and mental health.

Senior therapist vs child and family therapist overview

Senior TherapistChild And Family Therapist
Yearly salary$63,963$55,339
Hourly rate$30.75$26.61
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs68,064120,152
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Master's Degree, 51%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a senior therapist do?

Senior therapists lead and manage a facility's therapeutic program and work hand-in-hand with other facility team members to deliver, oversee, plan, and coordinate the therapeutic program. These professionals promote professional accountability, quality development, evaluation, clinical governance, and monitoring. Besides supervising community forums and similar activities, senior therapists also attend appropriate staff and clinical supervision meetings. They document and share with the clinical team the right therapeutic guidelines and processes to follow.

What does a child and family therapist do?

Child and family therapists are therapists who specialize in treating traumatized children due to neglect or abuse. They always formulate various techniques and activities to treat their patients and help improve the affected family's quality of living while maintaining confidentiality and following HIPAA laws and agency policies and procedures. During treatment, they monitor the progress of their patients and adjust the treatment accordingly. They also train youth counselors to maintain open communication with their families to know the cause and resolve problems faster.

Senior therapist vs child and family therapist salary

Senior therapists and child and family therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior TherapistChild And Family Therapist
Average salary$63,963$55,339
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $91,000Between $37,000 And $81,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Rafael, CA
Highest paying statePennsylvaniaAlaska
Best paying companyMontage HealthEverymind (formerly Mental Health Association Of Montgomery County)
Best paying industryEnergyFinance

Differences between senior therapist and child and family therapist education

There are a few differences between a senior therapist and a child and family therapist in terms of educational background:

Senior TherapistChild And Family Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Master's Degree, 51%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Senior therapist vs child and family therapist demographics

Here are the differences between senior therapists' and child and family therapists' demographics:

Senior TherapistChild And Family Therapist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 26.0% Female, 74.0%Male, 19.2% Female, 80.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between senior therapist and child and family therapist duties and responsibilities

Senior therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
  • Function as a case manager, co-le group therapy and provide psychiatrist supervise individual therapy to adolescent patients.
  • Work with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families.
  • Produce detailed quarterly reports on each student, used in IEP meetings to assess student's progress.
  • Collaborate with parents, teachers, and other professionals on the implementation of programs, and attend IEP meetings.
  • Implement one on one behavioral intervention programs in the homes of children with autism while using apply behavioral analysis therapy.
  • Show more

Child and family therapist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and lead DBT base therapy groups for children and adolescents in residential treatment.
  • Train in HIPAA as well as an understanding of BCBA professional standards.
  • Create, implement, and monitor behavior programs under supervision of a BCBA.
  • Conduct psychological testing for social security disability, vocational rehabilitation, and hospital inpatient populations.
  • Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.
  • Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.

Senior therapist vs child and family therapist skills

Common senior therapist skills
  • Social Work, 12%
  • Autism, 9%
  • Mental Health, 8%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Behavior Analysis, 7%
  • ABA, 5%
Common child and family therapist skills
  • Social Work, 21%
  • Diagnosis, 8%
  • Mental Health, 6%
  • Individual Therapy, 6%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Behavioral Health, 5%

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