Work counselor vs mental health counselor

The differences between work counselors and mental health 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 work counselor, becoming a mental health counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a work counselor has an average salary of $55,384, which is higher than the $49,471 average annual salary of a mental health counselor.

The top three skills for a work counselor include social work, discharge planning and substance abuse. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Work counselor vs mental health counselor overview

	Work Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Yearly salary	$55,384	$49,471
Hourly rate	$26.63	$23.78
Growth rate	11%	9%
Number of jobs	77,184	110,752
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	12	4

What does a work counselor do?

A work counselor's responsibility is to know the employee's problems including stress, workplace depression, declining productivity, and anxiety, and help solve them by resolving negative patterns, rehabilitation, and prevention to improve quality of life. Such purpose is to reduce sickness absence and pressure. Part of their helping profession is to respect the employees' privacy by sharing information and opinions on resources that the client needs since they are not tasked to disclose information and give advice.

What does a mental health counselor do?

A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.

Work counselor vs mental health counselor salary

Work counselors and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Work Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Average salary	$55,384	$49,471
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $66,000	Between $34,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Chicago, IL	Longview, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	The Travelers Companies	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between work counselor and mental health counselor education

There are a few differences between a work counselor and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:

	Work Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	California State University - Long Beach

Work counselor vs mental health counselor demographics

Here are the differences between work counselors' and mental health counselors' demographics:

	Work Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0%	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	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	21%	15%

Differences between work counselor and mental health counselor duties and responsibilities

Work counselor example responsibilities.

Manage litigation involving the agency, and drafts bills and amendments for legislative consideration.
Complete FARS, PERFS, and ASAMS as required.
Train in OMRDD requirements such as S.K.I.P, compass one, first aid, and CPR
Work as an in-home counselor for high intensity children's cases.
Assist with life skills, behavior modification, medication, and when necessary restraints.
Translate IPP reports verbally and in writing in designate second language (Spanish).

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Work counselor vs mental health counselor skills

Common work counselor skills

Social Work, 38%
Discharge Planning, 10%
Substance Abuse, 5%
Community Resources, 5%
Mental Health, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Work Counselor
Work Counselor vs Mental Health Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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