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The differences between social work interns and mental health specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a social work internship, becoming a mental health specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mental health specialist has an average salary of $47,321, which is higher than the $37,178 average annual salary of a social work internship.
The top three skills for a social work internship include patients, social work and intake assessments. The most important skills for a mental health specialist are patients, social work, and rehabilitation.
| Social Work Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,178 | $47,321 |
| Hourly rate | $17.87 | $22.75 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 142,426 | 131,449 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Social work interns are students who chose to do their on-the-job training in the field of social work. They apply for an internship at social services facilities. They are usually assigned to do administrative or clerical activities such as sorting through files, updating records, organizing documents, and filing reports. Aside from clerical tasks, they also get exposed to program or project management by working on program-specific initiatives. They get exposed to planning, resource managing, implementing, and evaluating. They may also join their supervisors during field activities.
A mental health specialist is responsible for evaluating a patient's mental health condition and develop appropriate treatment plans to help the patients cope up with their mental difficulties. Mental health specialists provide counseling to the patients, listening to their situation, and responding with the utmost consideration. They also create regular progress reports and medical charts to monitor ongoing medication, updating treatment plans as needed. A mental health specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills, helping the patients deal with their mental stress and return to a healthy lifestyle.
Social work interns and mental health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Work Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,178 | $47,321 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $51,000 | Between $31,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fargo, ND | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | DTCC | Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene Inc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a social work internship and a mental health specialist in terms of educational background:
| Social Work Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Fullerton | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between social work interns' and mental health specialists' demographics:
| Social Work Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7% | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | 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 | 11% | 15% |