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The differences between behavioral specialists and youth counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a behavioral specialist, becoming a youth counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a behavioral specialist has an average salary of $42,029, which is higher than the $36,754 average annual salary of a youth counselor.
The top three skills for a behavioral specialist include mental health, autism and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a youth counselor are direct care, mental health, and crisis intervention.
| Behavioral Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $42,029 | $36,754 |
| Hourly rate | $20.21 | $17.67 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 74,968 | 78,461 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A behavioral specialist is a psychological expert providing guidance and counseling to people who have behavioral issues affecting their abilities to learn and socialize with other people. Behavioral specialists assess the level of patients' behavior and make treatment plans to help them cope. They monitor the patient's progress and keep treatment reports, improving or adjusting treatment plans as needed. They also communicate with the patients' family and friends for treatment support, as well as coordinate with other health professionals for additional assistance.
A Youth Counselor's role is to provide guidance and interact with children or teenagers in need of care and counseling. The duty of a Youth Counselor is diverse, and it highly depends on the organization or employer. However, the responsibilities mostly revolve around establishing rapport with the youngster while trying to work on their issues, ensuring their welfare by monitoring their emotional and physical state, coordinating with families or other facilities, suggesting treatments, and performing crisis intervention if necessary.
Behavioral specialists and youth counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavioral Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Average salary | $42,029 | $36,754 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $61,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Barbarian | New York State Restaurant Association |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a behavioral specialist and a youth counselor in terms of educational background:
| Behavioral Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between behavioral specialists' and youth counselors' demographics:
| Behavioral Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 | 12% | 15% |