Staff occupational therapist vs mental health therapist

The differences between staff occupational therapists and mental health therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a staff occupational therapist, becoming a mental health therapist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a staff occupational therapist has an average salary of $73,477, which is higher than the $50,259 average annual salary of a mental health therapist.

The top three skills for a staff occupational therapist include patients, rehabilitation and physical therapy. The most important skills for a mental health therapist are social work, patients, and mental health.

Staff occupational therapist vs mental health therapist overview

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Yearly salary	$73,477	$50,259
Hourly rate	$35.33	$24.16
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	138,949	114,386
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	40	45
Years of experience	12	4

Staff occupational therapist vs mental health therapist salary

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

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Average salary	$73,477	$50,259
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $96,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Pacifica, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	New York University	Tykes And Teens
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between staff occupational therapist and mental health therapist education

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

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Occupational Therapy	Social Work
Most common college	Duke University	California State University - Long Beach

Staff occupational therapist vs mental health therapist demographics

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

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Average age	40	45
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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	14%	15%

Differences between staff occupational therapist and mental health therapist duties and responsibilities

Staff occupational therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
Implement ADL techniques and fabricate adaptive equipment for increase modified independence.
Provide accurate assessments/evaluation on rehabilitation patients.
Work contingent for Beaumont home care and at SNF's.
Perform screens & evaluations for upper & lower extremity splints.
Fabricate and modify a variety of hand and elbow splints.

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

Staff occupational therapist vs mental health therapist skills

Common staff occupational therapist skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Physical Therapy, 10%
Occupational Therapy, 7%
COTA, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%

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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Occupational Therapist
Staff Occupational Therapist vs Mental Health Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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