Post job

Therapeutic mentor vs therapeutic support staff

The differences between therapeutic mentors and therapeutic support staff can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a therapeutic mentor and a therapeutic support staff. Additionally, a therapeutic mentor has an average salary of $41,272, which is higher than the $34,086 average annual salary of a therapeutic support staff.

The top three skills for a therapeutic mentor include skill building, behavior management and interpersonal communication. The most important skills for a therapeutic support staff are autism, social work, and rehabilitation.

Therapeutic mentor vs therapeutic support staff overview

Therapeutic MentorTherapeutic Support Staff
Yearly salary$41,272$34,086
Hourly rate$19.84$16.39
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs66,070192,172
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

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 therapeutic support staff do?

A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.

Therapeutic mentor vs therapeutic support staff salary

Therapeutic mentors and therapeutic support staff have different pay scales, as shown below.

Therapeutic MentorTherapeutic Support Staff
Average salary$41,272$34,086
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $59,000Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between therapeutic mentor and therapeutic support staff education

There are a few differences between a therapeutic mentor and a therapeutic support staff in terms of educational background:

Therapeutic MentorTherapeutic Support Staff
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Therapeutic mentor vs therapeutic support staff demographics

Here are the differences between therapeutic mentors' and therapeutic support staff' demographics:

Therapeutic MentorTherapeutic Support Staff
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 38.9% Female, 61.1%Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between therapeutic mentor and therapeutic support staff 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.

Therapeutic support staff example responsibilities.

  • Earn reputation for working with some of the most trouble adolescents in district using compassion and patience to achieve goals.
  • Observe patients and strategically prepare and manage clinical analysis of individuals and their progress in conjunction with formulate behavior goals.
  • Provide one-on-one interventions, including crisis intervention, behavior management support, emotional support, time-structure activities, and psychological rehabilitation.
  • Implement specific ABA therapeutic interventions that are developed to stabilize and improve the child's behavior.
  • Experience working with children with ADHD, autism, and a variety of other behavioral health disabilities.
  • Provide behavioral interventions within the community and home to children with autism or other emotional support needs
  • Show more

Therapeutic mentor vs therapeutic support staff 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 therapeutic support staff skills
  • Autism, 12%
  • Social Work, 10%
  • Rehabilitation, 8%
  • Emotional Support, 6%
  • Mental Health, 6%
  • Compassion, 5%

Browse community and social services jobs