Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a child and family counselor and how to become one
Child and family counselors are therapists that specialize in helping children and their families. They help children work through mental health challenges, and help families support them in that journey, so that a kid can enjoy a carefree childhood free of trauma.
Child and family counselors can work with children individually, meet with them and a parent, or work with a family as a whole. They usually use different tactics than a counselor for adults would use, such as using play therapy or art therapy in addition to talk therapy. Child and family counselors need to have extensive knowledge of various treatments for mental health challenges and how they can be applied to children. They also need to be patient and know how to support children with additional resources if necessary at the child's own pace of healing.
Like other kinds of counselors, most child and family counselors need a master's degree in psychology, social work, or a related field. Most states require a child and family counselor to undergo practical training and pass a licensing exam before they can open up their own practice. Child and family counselors earn an average salary of $39,832 a year.
What general advice would you give to a child and family counselor?
Debra Minsky-Kelly
Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College
Avg. Salary $55,039
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 9%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.51%
Asian 2.67%
Black or African American 13.37%
Hispanic or Latino 15.12%
Unknown 4.19%
White 63.14%
Genderfemale 75.50%
male 24.50%
Age - 42American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 42Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Child and family counselor career paths
Key steps to become a child and family counselor
Explore child and family counselor education requirements
Start to develop specific child and family counselor skills
Skills Percentages Social Work 18.75% Mental Health 17.97% Community Resources 14.09% Child Care 8.96% Child Development 8.65% Complete relevant child and family counselor training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New child and family counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a child and family counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real child and family counselor resumes.Research child and family counselor duties and responsibilities
- Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
- Attend necessary court hearings and work alongside DHS to ensure safety of children.
- Work with families and juveniles involve in the DHS and juvenile court systems.
- Assist patients in establishing an alcohol/drug free lifestyle by increasing their understanding of their pathological relationship to mood/mind altering chemicals.
Prepare your child and family counselor resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your child and family counselor resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a child and family counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable child and family counselor resume templates
Build a professional child and family counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your child and family counselor resume.
Apply for child and family counselor jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a child and family counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first child and family counselor job
Are you a child and family counselor?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average child and family counselor salary
The average child and family counselor salary in the United States is $55,039 per year or $26 per hour. Child and family counselor salaries range between $40,000 and $74,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do child and family counselors rate their job?
Child and family counselor reviews
The children are always worth it.
Stressful, dangerous neighborhoods, sometimes parents are dangerous as well. Work life balance isn't good. Documentation is very time consuming and you will bring that home to finish. If your agency requires that you do your app recorded time sheets then that will prove ardously time consuming constaint that cuts right into your work/home life balance...it's terrible. Wear and tear on your car, no shows from parents upsetting children and paid mileage is horrible. Get ready to barely have a life.
Serving people, impacting change in communities, never boring
The vulnerable are cared for and protected
Updated January 8, 2025
