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The differences between adoption specialists and family 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 family counselor. Additionally, a family counselor has an average salary of $41,510, 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 family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.
| Adoption Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $41,070 | $41,510 |
| Hourly rate | $19.75 | $19.96 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 84,209 | 93,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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 Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.
Adoption specialists and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adoption Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Average salary | $41,070 | $41,510 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $27,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an adoption specialist and a family counselor in terms of educational background:
| Adoption Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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 family counselors' demographics:
| Adoption Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| 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, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |