Counseling director vs activities director

The differences between counseling directors and activities directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a counseling director and an activities director. Additionally, a counseling director has an average salary of $80,811, which is higher than the $44,982 average annual salary of an activities director.

The top three skills for a counseling director include human resources, litigation and legal advice. The most important skills for an activities director are patients, rehabilitation, and resident care.

Counseling director vs activities director overview

	Counseling Director	Activities Director
Yearly salary	$80,811	$44,982
Hourly rate	$38.85	$21.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	7,801	6,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a counseling director do?

A counseling director oversees the daily activities of a clinic or counseling facility. They make decisions in adherence with the establishments' goals, manage staff, delegate responsibilities, and conduct assessments and reviews to ensure that clients receive optimal services. They may also participate in facilitating individual or group sessions, monitoring the clients' progress, and hiring and training employees. A counseling director leads staff to reach the facility's goals and implements the facility's standards and regulations.

What does an activities director do?

An activities director is responsible for planning engaging events for the participants, considering individual interests and the safety of procedures and resources. Activities directors guide the activity staff on assisting the participants, ensuring that they are comfortable with joining the activities. Since most activities directors work at a healthcare facility or elderly institution, they must also monitor the health of the participants by conducting therapeutic activities and evaluate the participants' progress for every program. The activities director must be a critical-thinker, as well as have excellent communication skills to coordinate with facilities personnel for successful activity completion.

Counseling director vs activities director salary

Counseling directors and activities directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counseling Director	Activities Director
Average salary	$80,811	$44,982
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $142,000	Between $27,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Huntington, NY
Highest paying state	New York	Mississippi
Best paying company	Palo Alto Networks	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between counseling director and activities director education

There are a few differences between a counseling director and an activities director in terms of educational background:

	Counseling Director	Activities Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Counseling director vs activities director demographics

Here are the differences between counseling directors' and activities directors' demographics:

	Counseling Director	Activities Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between counseling director and activities director duties and responsibilities

Counseling director example responsibilities.

Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
Advise companies and employers on legislative and regulatory issues and business matters including contracts, transactions, property acquisitions and litigation.
Train on first aid and CPR.
Maintain guidelines set by HIPAA.
Obtain FDA approval for new products.
Conduct daily HMIS intakes on all new guests, update and maintain accurate records.

Activities director example responsibilities.

Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.

Counseling director vs activities director skills

Common counseling director skills

Human Resources, 20%
Litigation, 10%
Legal Advice, 10%
Legal Issues, 8%
Business Development, 6%
Risk Management, 5%

Common activities director skills

Patients, 15%
Rehabilitation, 10%
Resident Care, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Home Health, 7%
MDS, 6%

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Counseling Director vs Activities Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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