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The differences between adoption specialists and service counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an adoption specialist, becoming a service counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an adoption specialist has an average salary of $41,070, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.
The top three skills for an adoption specialist include foster care, social work and adoption process. The most important skills for a service counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.
| Adoption Specialist | Service Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $41,070 | $35,402 |
| Hourly rate | $19.75 | $17.02 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 84,209 | 44,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.
Adoption specialists and service counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adoption Specialist | Service Counselor | |
| Average salary | $41,070 | $35,402 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $24,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between an adoption specialist and a service counselor in terms of educational background:
| Adoption Specialist | Service Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between adoption specialists' and service counselors' demographics:
| Adoption Specialist | Service Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |