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The differences between adoption specialists and community health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an adoption specialist and a community health counselor. Additionally, a community health counselor has an average salary of $43,304, which is higher than the $41,070 average annual salary of an adoption specialist.
The top three skills for an adoption specialist include foster care, social work and adoption process. The most important skills for a community health counselor are social work, behavioral health, and patients.
| Adoption Specialist | Community Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $41,070 | $43,304 |
| Hourly rate | $19.75 | $20.82 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 84,209 | 131,804 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Adoption Specialists are responsible for evaluating and arranging both adoptive parents' and child's needs to ensure a good family fit. Their duties include undertaking adoption research on families, completing paperwork requirements, carrying out adoption education for families before and following children's placements at their house, and assisting in post-placement services. They are also responsible for developing adoption plans, act as main family advisors, and organize community resources needed by both adoptive parents and children, such as education, health care, and counseling.
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
Adoption specialists and community health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adoption Specialist | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $41,070 | $43,304 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $29,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an adoption specialist and a community health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Adoption Specialist | Community Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between adoption specialists' and community health counselors' demographics:
| Adoption Specialist | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | 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 | 10% | 15% |