Therapeutic mentor vs social worker

The differences between therapeutic mentors and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a therapeutic mentor, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $41,272 average annual salary of a therapeutic mentor.

The top three skills for a therapeutic mentor include skill building, behavior management and interpersonal communication. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Therapeutic mentor vs social worker overview

	Therapeutic Mentor	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$41,272	$50,102
Hourly rate	$19.84	$24.09
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	66,070	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	12	2

What does a therapeutic mentor do?

Therapeutic mentoring sessions typically take place between youths and a professional, usually a Therapeutic Mentor. He/She works with social services to provide therapeutic support services to youths that are under age 21 dealing with various issues. As a mentor, you'll be conducting one-on-one strength-based sessions with youths and, sometimes, their families. Your duties will include providing conflict resolution and crisis intervention in a family setting, developing healthy family relationships, and supervising development programs designed to help the youth succeed.

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.

Therapeutic mentor vs social worker salary

Therapeutic mentors and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Therapeutic Mentor	Social Worker
Average salary	$41,272	$50,102
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $59,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between therapeutic mentor and social worker education

There are a few differences between a therapeutic mentor and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Therapeutic Mentor	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Therapeutic mentor vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between therapeutic mentors' and social workers' demographics:

	Therapeutic Mentor	Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 5.4% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	13%

Differences between therapeutic mentor and social worker duties and responsibilities

Therapeutic mentor example responsibilities.

Provide individualize intervention for problematic behaviors using TCI techniques such as de-escalation, to prevent and/or manage crisis.
Attend IEP meetings to validate the treatment that the client is doing outside of school.
Document treatment plans, and assist with IEP sessions, interventions, and client behaviors using Microsoft applications.
Develop a mentoring relationship with assign DCF youth in a one-on-one setting
Support students in developing effective study habits, time management skills, academic motivation, and organization skills.
Teach positive social skills, weight training, assistance with homework and studying the bible to promote spiritual growth.

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.

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Therapeutic mentor vs social worker skills

Common therapeutic mentor skills

Skill Building, 8%
Behavior Management, 8%
Interpersonal Communication, 7%
Role Model, 7%
In-Home Therapy, 6%
Support Services, 6%

Common social worker skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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