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The differences between therapeutic support staff and mental health consultants 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 consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mental health consultant has an average salary of $51,006, 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 consultant are healthcare, substance abuse, and patients.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,086 | $51,006 |
| Hourly rate | $16.39 | $24.52 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 192,172 | 127,233 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| 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 consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.
Therapeutic support staff and mental health consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Average salary | $34,086 | $51,006 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $34,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Guidehouse |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic support staff and a mental health consultant in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between therapeutic support staff' and mental health consultants' demographics:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| 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% |