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Therapist vs clinical therapist

The differences between therapists and clinical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical therapist has an average salary of $57,864, which is higher than the $55,943 average annual salary of a therapist.

The top three skills for a therapist include social work, patients and group therapy sessions. The most important skills for a clinical therapist are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Therapist vs clinical therapist overview

TherapistClinical Therapist
Yearly salary$55,943$57,864
Hourly rate$26.90$27.82
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs159,770136,898
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Master's Degree, 51%
Average age4141
Years of experience--

What does a therapist do?

A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.

What does a clinical therapist do?

A Clinical Therapist works with patients to help identify, examine, and treat mental health and emotional issues or disorders. They counsel individuals or groups regarding psychological or emotional problems, as well as observe clients to detect indications of abnormal physical or mental behavior.

Therapist vs clinical therapist salary

Therapists and clinical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

TherapistClinical Therapist
Average salary$55,943$57,864
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $80,000Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CALos Angeles, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyChildhelpCVS Health
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between therapist and clinical therapist education

There are a few differences between a therapist and a clinical therapist in terms of educational background:

TherapistClinical Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Master's Degree, 51%
Most common majorPsychologySocial Work
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Therapist vs clinical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between therapists' and clinical therapists' demographics:

TherapistClinical Therapist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 24.4% Female, 75.6%Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between therapist and clinical therapist duties and responsibilities

Therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
  • Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
  • Provide on-call crisis intervention as well as standard treatment, rehabilitation and support services with some interventions requiring specialize therapy services.
  • Develop and implement an effective curriculum of DBT inform group and art therapy classes specifically tailor for chemically dependent patients.
  • Provide trauma-inform individual psychotherapy, TREM group treatment protocol, and EMDR.
  • Utilize current brain base therapeutic techniques to teach clients adaptive skills to utilize in daily lives.
    • Show more

Clinical therapist example responsibilities.

  • Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
  • Provide direct treatment services such as individual/group therapy and intervene in crisis situations when patients exhibit acute psychiatric symptoms.
  • Direct patients to designate residential or supportive living options, community base placement/ treatment or other resources as necessary.
  • Provide training for federal and public organizations regarding the psychological aspects of veterans having experience combat or military sexual trauma.
  • Work closely with a license orthotist/prosthetist to obtain orthotics for children who require them.

Therapist vs clinical therapist skills

Common therapist skills
  • Social Work, 23%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Mental Health, 4%
  • Patient Care, 3%
Common clinical therapist skills
  • Social Work, 26%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Crisis Intervention, 8%
  • Mental Health, 4%
  • Discharge Planning, 4%
  • Community Resources, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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