What does a community health counselor do?
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
Community health counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real community health counselor resumes:
- Provide group and individual therapy along with social service coordination for patients in short term stabilization psychiatric unit.
- Train in medication administration, therapeutic holds and CPR.
- Maintain cleanliness of home provide assistance with cleaning rooms and common areas.
- Train in MNT, TCI, first aide and CPR with several other essential trainings.
- Complete insurance verification information for Medicaid participants.
- Maintain caseload paperwork in accordance with Georgia Medicaid requirements.
- Provide resource information on medical and social services in order to help facilitate appropriate placement of patients upon discharge.
- Facilitate working relationship between say agency and research organization to continue to work with and promote adolescent rehabilitation program.
- Perform group facilitation for families, DUI and addiction education activities.
- Help individuals work on and meet monthly ISP goals and objectives.
- Complete written documentation observing HIPPA and other applicable laws and confidentiality.
- Create behavioral and cognitive plans for adolescents with ADHD that monitor behaviors leading to academic success.
- Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.
- Organize and lead regular youth and college bible studies, teaching about prayer and promoting spirituality.
Community health counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Community Health Counselors are proficient in Social Work, Behavioral Health, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Emotional skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Community Health Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 19%
Provided clinical social work services by implementing various evidenced-based theoretical frameworks.
- Behavioral Health, 17%
Facilitated direct admissions from the emergency department and other agencies to the behavioral health inpatient unit at DeKalb Medical Center.
- Patients, 17%
Provided resource information on medical and social services in order to help facilitate appropriate placement of patients upon discharge.
- Crisis Intervention, 7%
Conducted individual counseling sessions and group counseling sessions, monitored the therapeutic environment and provided emergency or acute crisis intervention services.
- Rehabilitation, 4%
Facilitate working relationship between said agency and research organization to continue to work with and promote adolescent rehabilitation program.
- Discharge Planning, 3%
Collaborated with treatment team regarding discharge planning.
Common skills that a community health counselor uses to do their job include "social work," "behavioral health," and "patients." You can find details on the most important community health counselor responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a community health counselor to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what community health counselors do because "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives." Additionally, a community health counselor resume shows how community health counselors use communication skills: "increased communication skills during case management with consumers skills used first aid cpr aed nonviolent crisis intervention medication administration"
Interpersonal skills. community health counselors are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to community health counselor responsibilities, because "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." A community health counselor resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "resolved personal, social, vocational, and interpersonal concerns through implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy. "
Organizational skills. A big part of what community health counselors do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to community health counselor responsibilities because "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical community health counselor tasks: "provide outreach and facilitate inter-organizational cooperation with community agencies, schools, county services, healthcare professionals, and community groups. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in community health counselor job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what community health counselors do. Community health counselor responsibilities rely on this skill because "social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions." You can also see how community health counselor duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "utilized various treatment modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy and short-term solution focused therapy during sessions. "
The three companies that hire the most community health counselors are:
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia27 community health counselors jobs
- Eating Recovery Center24 community health counselors jobs
- Ascension Michigan21 community health counselors jobs
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Compare different community health counselors
Community health counselor vs. Counselor/art therapist
A counselor/art therapist is responsible for conducting art sessions as part of patients' therapy treatments, letting them express their human nature and emotions through artistic discovery. Counselors/art therapists guide the patients throughout their recovery process, identifying their needs and conditions by analyzing their crafts. A counselor/art therapist coordinates with other medical professionals to deliver quality care services for the patients, monitor their progress, record observations, and instructing patients in art activities to discover their maximum potential.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a community health counselor are more likely to require skills like "rehabilitation," "direct patient care," "cpr," and "therapeutic milieu." On the other hand, a job as a counselor/art therapist requires skills like "diagnosis," "patient care," "substance abuse issues," and "therapeutic services." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that counselor/art therapists earn slightly differ from community health counselors. In particular, counselor/art therapists are 21.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a community health counselor. Additionally, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Community health counselor vs. Behavioral health specialist
Typically working for clinics and learning institutions, a behavioral health specialist is in charge of counseling and treating patients with behavioral issues. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment through interview and observation, maintaining records and data, developing treatment plans, and referring patients to other support services when necessary. Moreover, a behavioral health specialist must communicate with the patient's families or guardians, discuss conditions, and provide advice on taking care of them. Aside from treating patients, it is also essential to continuously monitor their behavior while building positive relationships with them.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that community health counselor responsibilities requires skills like "direct patient care," "therapeutic milieu," "mental health disorders," and "behavior modification." But a behavioral health specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "substance abuse," "patient care," "direct care," and "support services."
On average, behavioral health specialists earn a higher salary than community health counselors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, behavioral health specialists earn the most pay in the insurance industry with an average salary of $53,632. Whereas community health counselors have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $41,674.behavioral health specialists earn similar levels of education than community health counselors in general. They're 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for community health counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Community health counselor vs. Counselor internship
When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision. It is also essential to track the information gathered and coordinate with assigned personnel to adhere to the company's regulations and policies.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from community health counselor resumes include skills like "social work," "behavioral health," "patients," and "rehabilitation," whereas a counselor internship is more likely to list skills in "substance abuse issues," "psychosocial assessments," "relapse prevention," and "intake interviews. "
Counselor interns earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $51,629. Community health counselors earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $41,674.counselor interns typically earn similar educational levels compared to community health counselors. Specifically, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Community health counselor vs. Mental health specialist
A mental health specialist is responsible for evaluating a patient's mental health condition and develop appropriate treatment plans to help the patients cope up with their mental difficulties. Mental health specialists provide counseling to the patients, listening to their situation, and responding with the utmost consideration. They also create regular progress reports and medical charts to monitor ongoing medication, updating treatment plans as needed. A mental health specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills, helping the patients deal with their mental stress and return to a healthy lifestyle.
Types of community health counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
