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.
Counseling director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real counseling director resumes:
- 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.
- Conduct investigations regarding harassment, discrimination, workplace violence, fitness for duty, drug diversions and HIPAA.
- Develop FDA relationship and represent company to government agencies.
- Conduct internal investigation of potential litigation matter that are resolved amicably and with lenders receiving full payout.
- Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
- Integrate education and experience in counseling psychology, pastoral care, theology, and pastoral ministry.
- Advise on general claims procedures, Medicare set-asides, releases, and disclosures.
- Assist in development of new business model and transition to a software as a service (SaaS) base company.
- Provide hospital visitation and counseling ministry to families and individuals during times of extreme crisis and trauma and routine surgery.
- Counsele women and their partners on contraception, abortion, pregnancy, HIV and STDs.
Counseling director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Counseling Directors are proficient in Human Resources, Litigation, and Legal Advice. They’re also known for soft skills such as Flexibility, Leadership skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Counseling Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Human Resources, 20%
Lead the creation, implementation, and administration of business conduct, compliance and human resources policies and training programs.
- Litigation, 10%
Managed outside counsel in commercial litigation matters.
- Legal Advice, 10%
Noted for sound legal advice provided to disciplinary hearing panels regarding recovery, including a $2M case.
- Legal Issues, 8%
Educated inventors regarding legal issues related to patenting.
- Business Development, 6%
Supported the Business Development unit on in-licensing of products.
- Risk Management, 5%
Developed, implemented and provided oversight of Risk Assessment and Risk Management training to agency-wide staff.
"human resources," "litigation," and "legal advice" are among the most common skills that counseling directors use at work. You can find even more counseling director responsibilities below, including:
Flexibility. The most essential soft skill for a counseling director to carry out their responsibilities is flexibility. This skill is important for the role because "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities." Additionally, a counseling director resume shows how their duties depend on flexibility: "demonstrated leadership skills, creativity, flexibility, and responsibility. "
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform counseling director duties is leadership skills. Counseling directors responsibilities require that "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." Counseling directors also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "develop leadership programming, facilitate counseling workshops and lead initiative activities with teens, supervise cit counselors"
Physical strength. This is an important skill for counseling directors to perform their duties. For an example of how counseling director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "most recreation workers should be physically fit." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a counseling director: "develop and strengthen the university counseling services to best meet the current mental health needs of the university students. ".
Communication skills. For certain counseling director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a counseling director rely on this skill, as "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what counseling directors do: "use alternative communication system designed for the individuals served- example: communication booklets, electronic talker, or basic sign language. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for counseling director responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of counseling directors all the time, as "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." An excerpt from a real counseling director resume shows how this skill is central to what a counseling director does: "conducted internal investigation of potential litigation matter that was resolved amicably and with lenders receiving full payout. "
The three companies that hire the most counseling directors are:
- Organon478 counseling directors jobs
- CNA Insurance5 counseling directors jobs
- American Express4 counseling directors jobs
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Compare different counseling directors
Counseling director vs. Program lead
A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands. They have a clear understanding of the organization's long-term goals and outline plans to define those objectives, bringing new programs to light following clients' specifications that would help the business grow revenues, maintain customer satisfaction, and keep its good reputation, and achieve profitability goals.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between counseling directors and program lead. For instance, counseling director responsibilities require skills such as "human resources," "litigation," "legal advice," and "legal issues." Whereas a program lead is skilled in "project management," "hr," "work ethic," and "customer satisfaction." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Program leads tend to reach lower levels of education than counseling directors. In fact, program leads are 14.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 8.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Counseling director vs. Activities leader
An activity leader's main duty is to offer sports programs and exercises that are riveting in a positive manner. The activities typically assigned to leaders are the ones they understand for the smooth promotion and planning of events. Usually, hotel resorts and summer camps seasonally employ activity leaders to make time for different exercises throughout the year. Working as an activities leader can also be viewed as a way to practically enhance a person's teaching or coaching skills, leadership and communication skills, and marketing skills when it comes to publicizing upcoming events.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real counseling director resumes. While counseling director responsibilities can utilize skills like "human resources," "litigation," "legal advice," and "legal issues," activities leaders use skills like "direct supervision," "homework assistance," "role model," and "physical stamina."
Activities leaders may earn a lower salary than counseling directors, but activities leaders earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $28,776. On the other hand, counseling directors receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $82,981.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Activities leaders tend to reach lower levels of education than counseling directors. In fact, they're 19.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 8.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Counseling director vs. Site leader
A site leader is responsible for managing the staff's performance, ensuring the smooth delivery of daily operations, and guiding the successful project completion by maximizing the staff's productivity within the specified timeframe and budget goals. Site leaders work closely with the clients, together with the site manager, to identify their specifications and requirements, as well as providing progress updates and suggesting design adjustments as needed. A site leader also performs safety inspections, making sure that all the staff follows the required operational procedures and regulations to prevent hazards and delays in project deliverables.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, counseling directors are more likely to have skills like "human resources," "litigation," "legal advice," and "legal issues." But a site leader is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "project management," "logistics," and "patients."
Most site leaders achieve a lower degree level compared to counseling directors. For example, they're 15.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 9.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Counseling director vs. Camp leader
Types of counseling director
Updated January 8, 2025
