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Case planner vs counselor

The differences between case planners and counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a case planner has an average salary of $43,496, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.

The top three skills for a case planner include social work, foster care and NYC. The most important skills for a counselor are patients, crisis intervention, and substance abuse.

Case planner vs counselor overview

Case PlannerCounselor
Yearly salary$43,496$36,225
Hourly rate$20.91$17.42
Growth rate12%10%
Number of jobs36,06577,536
Job satisfaction-2
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4344
Years of experience12-

What does a case planner do?

Case planners are social workers who provide assistance to children and their families to improve their social and psychological functioning as well as maximize the well-being of families. These planners are required to design service plans that address the safety, behavioral, education, and permanency needs of families and adolescents. They must identify potential child abuse and report any suspected abuses to the appropriate authorities. Case planners must also facilitate counseling to domestic violence victims and assist families in obtaining protection orders from victim service nonprofit organizations.

What does a counselor do?

Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.

Case planner vs counselor salary

Case planners and counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Case PlannerCounselor
Average salary$43,496$36,225
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $57,000Between $19,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CityIslandia, NY-
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyThe New York Foundling-
Best paying industryProfessionalEducation

Differences between case planner and counselor education

There are a few differences between a case planner and a counselor in terms of educational background:

Case PlannerCounselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachUniversity of Pennsylvania

Case planner vs counselor demographics

Here are the differences between case planners' and counselors' demographics:

Case PlannerCounselor
Average age4344
Gender ratioMale, 19.2% Female, 80.8%Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 25.9% Asian, 6.1% White, 48.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage11%9%

Differences between case planner and counselor duties and responsibilities

Case planner example responsibilities.

  • Manage a caseload of families with children in DSS custody awaiting return home to family of origin base upon progress make.
  • Keep current on Medicaid rates/services they will reimburse for Medicaid recipients.
  • Sign patients up for all Medicare and Medicaid benefits that are offer to them.
  • Perform concurrent review to assure appropriateness of admission, inpatient/acute care, rehabilitation/SNF status, and discharge using establish InterQual guidelines.
  • Make referrals to home care and/or DME vendors using Medicare/Medicaid criteria/eligibility.

Counselor example responsibilities.

  • Maintain a safe program through ongoing CPI training.
  • Utilize de-escalation skills (CPI) when necessary.
  • Instill confidence, improve all components of writing and reading, and study strategies.
  • Arrange ESL tutoring and perform as liaison between students, parents, and school administrators.
  • Advise students into their major field of study, and assisting them with choosing the correct curriculum.
  • Operate a full service litigation office that evolve from general litigation to criminal litigation to federal criminal trials.
  • Show more

Case planner vs counselor skills

Common case planner skills
  • Social Work, 18%
  • Foster Care, 16%
  • NYC, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 5%
  • Crisis Intervention, 5%
  • NYS, 4%
Common counselor skills
  • Patients, 13%
  • Crisis Intervention, 12%
  • Substance Abuse, 12%
  • Social Work, 10%
  • Community Resources, 4%
  • CPR, 4%

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