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The differences between counseling specialists and peer mentors 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 $28,416 average annual salary of a peer mentor.
The top three skills for a counseling specialist include social work, mental health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a peer mentor are mental health, role model, and mathematics.
| Counseling Specialist | Peer Mentor | |
| Yearly salary | $44,061 | $28,416 |
| Hourly rate | $21.18 | $13.66 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 64,404 | 1,199 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A peer mentor is an individual who builds a relationship with another person or mentee who is new to the career or at the same level. Peer mentors must serve as a social role model and educate mentees on various resources and services. They coordinate and facilitate social programs and training and discuss any mentee concerns with the top management. Peer mentors are also required to maintain confidentiality with any shared information between mentors and mentees.
Counseling specialists and peer mentors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counseling Specialist | Peer Mentor | |
| Average salary | $44,061 | $28,416 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $59,000 | Between $21,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Brockton, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Chicago Public Schools | Saint Xavier University |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a counseling specialist and a peer mentor in terms of educational background:
| Counseling Specialist | Peer Mentor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between counseling specialists' and peer mentors' demographics:
| Counseling Specialist | Peer Mentor | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4% | Male, 37.7% Female, 62.3% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |