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The differences between counseling specialists and youth care 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 $38,955 average annual salary of a youth care specialist.
The top three skills for a counseling specialist include social work, mental health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a youth care specialist are customer service, patients, and CPR.
| Counseling Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,061 | $38,955 |
| Hourly rate | $21.18 | $18.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 64,404 | 133,042 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
Youth care specialists are social experts who coordinate programs for children and young people who need care while being away from their own families for some reason. These specialists are required to maintain a safe environment in the community so that children will feel safe, cared for, and nurture. They must lead various seminars for youths about topics such as job readiness, financial literacy, and higher education. They must also communicate the concerns and other important information to a child's assigned social worker and provide back-up support to case managers if needed.
Counseling specialists and youth care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counseling Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,061 | $38,955 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $59,000 | Between $24,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Annapolis, MD |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Chicago Public Schools | Delaware State Government |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a counseling specialist and a youth care specialist in terms of educational background:
| Counseling Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston University | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between counseling specialists' and youth care specialists' demographics:
| Counseling Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4% | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |