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The differences between counseling specialists and outreach specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a counseling specialist has an average salary of $44,061, which is higher than the $41,863 average annual salary of an outreach specialist.
The top three skills for a counseling specialist include social work, mental health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for an outreach specialist are customer service, patients, and social work.
| Counseling Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,061 | $41,863 |
| Hourly rate | $21.18 | $20.13 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 64,404 | 46,523 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A counseling specialist guides groups, families, or individuals dealing with mental well-being or mental health issues. These professionals approach their duties holistically by implementing a 'wellness' model that identifies and promotes the client's strengths. Besides developing therapeutic processes and encouraging clients to share their experiences and emotions, counseling specialists also refer the clients to professional psychologists and more services. They work with families and examine aging, relationships, suicide, stress, depression, self-image, careers, bullying, substance abuse, anger management, and LGBTQ issues.
An outreach specialist is primarily responsible for organizing and managing social service programs that promote health and wellness within a community. They typically conduct research and assessments to determine the community's needs, thoroughly plan events and programs, participate in hiring staff and volunteers, and liaise with sponsors and suppliers. Often reporting to a manager or supervisor, an outreach specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports, preparing necessary documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments, and even responding to inquiries and concerns.
Counseling specialists and outreach specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counseling Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,061 | $41,863 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $59,000 | Between $29,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Chicago Public Schools | CME Group |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a counseling specialist and an outreach specialist in terms of educational background:
| Counseling Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Boston University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between counseling specialists' and outreach specialists' demographics:
| Counseling Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |