Social worker vs mental health counselor

The differences between social workers and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a social worker, becoming a mental health counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $49,471 average annual salary of a mental health counselor.

The top three skills for a social worker include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Social worker vs mental health counselor overview

	Social Worker	Mental Health Counselor
Yearly salary	$50,102	$49,471
Hourly rate	$24.09	$23.78
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	77,340	110,752
Job satisfaction	4.5	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	2	4

What does a social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

What does a mental health counselor do?

A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.

Social worker vs mental health counselor salary

Social workers and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Worker	Mental Health Counselor
Average salary	$50,102	$49,471
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $67,000	Between $34,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Portland, OR	Longview, WA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Washington
Best paying company	Health Advocates	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between social worker and mental health counselor education

There are a few differences between a social worker and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:

	Social Worker	Mental Health Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Social worker vs mental health counselor demographics

Here are the differences between social workers' and mental health counselors' demographics:

	Social Worker	Mental Health Counselor
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	13%	15%

Differences between social worker and mental health counselor duties and responsibilities

Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Social worker vs mental health counselor skills

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Social Worker vs Mental Health Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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