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Staff therapist vs behavioral therapist

The differences between staff therapists and behavioral 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 therapist, becoming a behavioral therapist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a staff therapist has an average salary of $52,147, which is higher than the $37,881 average annual salary of a behavioral therapist.

The top three skills for a staff therapist include patients, individual therapy and mental health. The most important skills for a behavioral therapist are autism, social work, and behavior analysis.

Staff therapist vs behavioral therapist overview

Staff TherapistBehavioral Therapist
Yearly salary$52,147$37,881
Hourly rate$25.07$18.21
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs101,57591,976
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4639
Years of experience126

What does a staff therapist do?

A staff therapist is someone who assists in the treatment of patients using electrical stimulation, exercise, and other means of electrotherapy to regain their bodily functions. The core skills that a staff therapist should possess to accomplish their responsibilities include a keen eye for details and excellent mathematical and problem-solving skills. The job's education requirements include completing a physical therapy program and possessing a bachelor's degree in medical technician, physical work, occupational therapy, or a related field.

What does a behavioral therapist do?

A behavioral therapist is responsible for supporting patients with various developmental disorders and behavioral difficulties. Behavioral therapists conduct counseling to the patients, identifying their personal and social challenges, and administering treatment plans to modify unusual behaviors. They also coordinate with other medical professionals to plan activities and therapy sessions for patients' needs. A behavioral therapist maintains a record of the patients' progress, help them on developing social engagement, and adjust treatment strategies depending on the patients' noticeable changes.

Staff therapist vs behavioral therapist salary

Staff therapists and behavioral therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff TherapistBehavioral Therapist
Average salary$52,147$37,881
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $77,000Between $27,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CitySanta Barbara, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateAlaskaNew York
Best paying companyStanford UniversityGeorge C. Grape Community Hospital
Best paying industryHealth CareEnergy

Differences between staff therapist and behavioral therapist education

There are a few differences between a staff therapist and a behavioral therapist in terms of educational background:

Staff TherapistBehavioral Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorMedical TechnicianPsychology
Most common collegeBoston UniversityCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Staff therapist vs behavioral therapist demographics

Here are the differences between staff therapists' and behavioral therapists' demographics:

Staff TherapistBehavioral Therapist
Average age4639
Gender ratioMale, 37.3% Female, 62.7%Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage9%12%

Differences between staff therapist and behavioral therapist duties and responsibilities

Staff therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage ventilator care, intubation, arterial line placement, mechanical ventilation, BIPAP, and CPAP.
  • Lead RRT position involves direct resident care such as ventilator set up, changes, weaning, and maintaining.
  • Provide high-quality patient care in all areas of the facility including ICU, CCU, PACU, NICU and ER.
  • Chart record of patient therapy; teach patients proper use and administration of respiratory medication such as MDI s and spacers.
  • Conduct weekly Medicare, Medicaid and private pay reports, submit quality indicator and MDS reports and metrics for QA/QC reports.
  • Document resident progress using MDS weekly, quarterly, annually and significant changes regarding therapeutic activity pattern.
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Behavioral therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage behavioral program for each client assign (CPI training).
  • Modele self-help and independent skills to assist autistic and developmentally delay children achieving their establish goals.
  • Assist the BCBA in assessing new clients, supervising line therapists, providing parent training, and formulating client specific programs.
  • Analyze and interpret results through graphing data collect from individual sessions.
  • Work collaboratively with BCBA's and direct line staff to ensure care plan and procedures are being implement consistently and uniformly.
  • Communicate with school administration, school teacher's and teaching assistants with helping create IEP's and behavior plans for individuals.
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Staff therapist vs behavioral therapist skills

Common staff therapist skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Individual Therapy, 16%
  • Mental Health, 7%
  • Group Therapy, 5%
  • Crisis Intervention, 4%
  • Physical Therapy, 3%
Common behavioral therapist skills
  • Autism, 15%
  • Social Work, 12%
  • Behavior Analysis, 11%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Provide ABA, 6%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 5%

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