Staff psychologist vs psychotherapist

The differences between staff psychologists and psychotherapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff psychologist has an average salary of $77,671, which is higher than the $69,921 average annual salary of a psychotherapist.

The top three skills for a staff psychologist include patients, group therapy and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a psychotherapist are social work, patients, and individual therapy.

Staff psychologist vs psychotherapist overview

	Staff Psychologist	Psychotherapist
Yearly salary	$77,671	$69,921
Hourly rate	$37.34	$33.62
Growth rate	14%	6%
Number of jobs	85,221	20,520
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Master's Degree, 55%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	2	-

What does a staff psychologist do?

A staff psychologist is responsible for monitoring patients with mental health conditions and conducting counseling services to observe their behaviors and diagnose their developmental disorders. Staff psychologists develop treatment plans and administer medications for the patients and may also facilitate referrals to other institutions and medical professionals for further examinations. They utilize necessary resources, especially therapy programs, to manage the patients' conditions and document their progress during each session. A staff psychologist seeks advice from other mental health experts to identify case management concepts and assessments.

What does a psychotherapist do?

A Psychotherapist's responsibility is to help clients who suffer from symptoms like depression, anxiety, and other behavioral problems. They work with individuals, couples, and families.

Staff psychologist vs psychotherapist salary

Staff psychologists and psychotherapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Psychologist	Psychotherapist
Average salary	$77,671	$69,921
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $110,000	Between $43,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Worcester, MA
Highest paying state	California	Delaware
Best paying company	Kaiser Permanente	Sutter Health
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between staff psychologist and psychotherapist education

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

	Staff Psychologist	Psychotherapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Master's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Staff psychologist vs psychotherapist demographics

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

	Staff Psychologist	Psychotherapist
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%	Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	20%

Differences between staff psychologist and psychotherapist duties and responsibilities

Staff psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

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.

Staff psychologist vs psychotherapist skills

Common staff psychologist skills

Patients, 14%
Group Therapy, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Veterans, 6%
Treatment Planning, 5%
Social Work, 5%

Common psychotherapist skills

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

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Staff Psychologist
Staff Psychologist vs Psychotherapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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