Children's counselor vs residence counselor

The differences between children's counselors and residence counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a children's counselor and a residence counselor. Additionally, a children's counselor has an average salary of $38,024, which is higher than the $34,931 average annual salary of a residence counselor.

The top three skills for a children's counselor include child care, social work and mental health. The most important skills for a residence counselor are developmental disabilities, CPR, and community resources.

Children's counselor vs residence counselor overview

	Children's Counselor	Residence Counselor
Yearly salary	$38,024	$34,931
Hourly rate	$18.28	$16.79
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	39,726	78,872
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	4	4

Children's counselor vs residence counselor salary

Children's counselors and residence counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Children's Counselor	Residence Counselor
Average salary	$38,024	$34,931
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $66,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Torrance, CA	Phoenix, AZ
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Lake County	McLean Hospital
Best paying industry	Government	Education

Differences between children's counselor and residence counselor education

There are a few differences between a children's counselor and a residence counselor in terms of educational background:

	Children's Counselor	Residence Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Children's counselor vs residence counselor demographics

Here are the differences between children's counselors' and residence counselors' demographics:

	Children's Counselor	Residence Counselor
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
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, 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	10%	15%

Differences between children's counselor and residence counselor duties and responsibilities

Children's counselor example responsibilities.

Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
Develop and attend treatment plan and IEP meetings for adolescents with mental diagnosis.
Maintain IEP goals and classroom management.
Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

Residence counselor example responsibilities.

Lead recreational activities for adolescents with ADHD and other behavior disorders.
Provide direct care, behavior management techniques, medication administration and CPR.
Design and supervise day to day activities for patients and construct a social program that provide opportunities for social rehabilitation.
Provide first aid and CPR, and minor medical assistance to residents.
Ensure medication compliance, maintain accurate medication logs, and assist in the development of ADL skills.
Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs and patients' progress in resolving identify problems and moving towards define objectives.

Children's counselor vs residence counselor skills

Common children's counselor skills

Child Care, 22%
Social Work, 12%
Mental Health, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Group Therapy, 7%
Family Therapy, 4%

Common residence counselor skills

Developmental Disabilities, 17%
CPR, 12%
Community Resources, 8%
Patients, 6%
Mental Illness, 6%
Medication Administration, 5%

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Children's Counselor
Children's Counselor vs Residence Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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