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The differences between therapeutic support staff and mental health clinicians 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 mental health clinician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mental health clinician has an average salary of $54,359, 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 mental health clinician are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,086 | $54,359 |
| Hourly rate | $16.39 | $26.13 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 192,172 | 91,347 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| 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 Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.
Therapeutic support staff and mental health clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Average salary | $34,086 | $54,359 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | City and County of Denver Government |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic support staff and a mental health clinician in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between therapeutic support staff' and mental health clinicians' demographics:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |