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The differences between therapeutic support staff and licensed professional counselors 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 support staff, becoming a licensed professional counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, which is higher than the $34,086 average annual salary of a therapeutic support staff.
The top three skills for a therapeutic support staff include autism, social work and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a licensed professional counselor are patients, social work, and LPC.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,086 | $94,675 |
| Hourly rate | $16.39 | $45.52 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 192,172 | 153,612 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
A licensed professional counselor is a healthcare professional who specializes in providing therapy and counseling to patients with emotional and mental health issues. They listen to their patients and utilize various techniques to address concerns and help through the healing procedures. Their duties entail conducting interviews and evaluations, performing research and assessments, studying the patients' medical histories, providing consultations, and developing treatment plans that suit every patients' needs. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor monitors and records their patients' progress, adjusting treatments and medications as necessary.
Therapeutic support staff and licensed professional counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average salary | $34,086 | $94,675 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $73,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | - | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic support staff and a licensed professional counselor in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between therapeutic support staff' and licensed professional counselors' demographics:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |