What does a counseling specialist do?
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.
Counseling specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real counseling specialist resumes:
- Manage assignments of paying medical bills limit in depth that include organizing and researching regulations as pertain to veterans eligibility.
- Follow member verification process, ensuring member's HIPAA rights.
- Provide HIV pre- and post-test counseling, and conduct confidential HIV testing using rapid OraQuick.
- Coordinate housing efforts with HUD also, verify yearly rental and income checks with social security.
- Identify and recruit students, assess academic, motivational, and social needs, and develop individual work plans.
- Develop social histories and rehabilitation treatment plans.
- Provide phenomenal customer service with sympathy, empathy and compassion while staying within protocol.
- Verify all insurance information including Medicare, NC Medicaid, secondary, tertiary insurances either via online or via telephone correspondence.
- Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.
Counseling specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Counseling Specialists are proficient in Social Work, Mental Health, and Crisis Intervention. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Speaking skills, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Counseling Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 25%
Assisted in supervision of undergraduate level social work students.
- Mental Health, 20%
Provide highly specialized individual and diversified mental health and substance abuse counseling and case management.
- Crisis Intervention, 10%
Deliver effective and proven therapeutic crisis intervention and prevention, adhering to agency protocols and leveraging best practices in counseling.
- HIPAA, 7%
Developed and maintained relationships with pharmaceutical client and ensured internal intake compliance with contract terms and HIPAA guidelines.
- Substance Abuse, 7%
Specialized skills in suicide intervention and substance abuse counseling.
- Community Resources, 6%
Make immediate referrals to community resources.
"social work," "mental health," and "crisis intervention" are among the most common skills that counseling specialists use at work. You can find even more counseling specialist responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a counseling specialist to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Counseling specialists often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "evaluate students with behavioral issues collect data work with teachers, counselors, and school psychologist to develop behavioralplan evaluate plan effectiveness"
Speaking skills. Many counseling specialist duties rely on speaking skills. "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students," so a counseling specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways counseling specialist responsibilities rely on speaking skills: "utilized skills for residents treatment provided safety and security contacted probation officers and counties for monthly reports represented nhs in the courtroom"
Listening skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of counseling specialists is listening skills. This skill is critical to many everyday counseling specialist duties, as "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "communicated and coordinated with providers at local emergency rooms as well law enforcement officials. "
Compassion. For certain counseling specialist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "compassion." The day-to-day duties of a counseling specialist rely on this skill, as "school and career counselors and advisors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be able to empathize with their clients and students." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what counseling specialists do: "provided phenomenal customer service with sympathy, empathy and compassion while staying within protocol. "
Interpersonal skills. Another common skill required for counseling specialist responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." This skill comes up in the duties of counseling specialists all the time, as "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." An excerpt from a real counseling specialist resume shows how this skill is central to what a counseling specialist does: "manage crisis situations as needed and model, coach and counsel clients regarding appropriate hygiene, social and interpersonal skills"
The three companies that hire the most counseling specialists are:
- ICF53 counseling specialists jobs
- Crisis Services14 counseling specialists jobs
- Canadian Imperial Holdings, Inc.5 counseling specialists jobs
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Compare different counseling specialists
Counseling specialist vs. Peer mentor
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, counseling specialist responsibilities require skills like "social work," "crisis intervention," "hipaa," and "substance abuse." Meanwhile a typical peer mentor has skills in areas such as "role model," "mathematics," "gpa," and "peer support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Peer mentors earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $30,162. On the other hand, counseling specialists are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $49,191.The education levels that peer mentors earn slightly differ from counseling specialists. In particular, peer mentors are 11.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a counseling specialist. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Counseling specialist vs. Job coach
A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth. They provide counseling, understanding the clients' strengths and weaknesses, analyzing clients' personal goals, and guiding clients through job interviews and assessments. A job coach must have excellent communication, listening, and analytical skills to handle their clients' challenges and match their interests for the best career suited for them.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that counseling specialist responsibilities requires skills like "social work," "hipaa," "substance abuse," and "compassion." But a job coach might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "developmental disabilities," "customer service," "direct supervision," and "competitive employment."
On average, job coaches earn a lower salary than counseling specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, job coaches earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $38,362. Whereas counseling specialists have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $49,191.job coaches earn lower levels of education than counseling specialists in general. They're 8.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for counseling specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Lesley Casarez Ph.D.
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
Counseling specialist vs. Admissions representative
As the name entails, admissions representatives assist prospective and new students attending a university. They give these students the information they need to make a well-informed decision regarding enrollment, make admissions decisions, and review documents. It is also their job to decide which students need to be followed up, ask students their choices, and hold new and prospective students to deadlines. They may be assigned to several areas depending on the department's needs, including prospect management, graduate admissions, and undergraduate admissions.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a counseling specialist is likely to be skilled in "social work," "mental health," "crisis intervention," and "hipaa," while a typical admissions representative is skilled in "customer service," "patients," "phone calls," and "financial aid."
Admissions representatives earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $50,011. Counseling specialists earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $49,191.admissions representatives typically earn lower educational levels compared to counseling specialists. Specifically, they're 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Counseling specialist vs. Admissions coordinator
Admissions coordinators work in different industries but are often found in higher education and healthcare settings. They have varied duties and responsibilities within an organization that include maintaining admission guidelines, marketing programs and facilities, and screening applicants. Also, they are responsible for resolving any patient or family dissatisfaction and preparing admissions reports. As an admissions coordinator, you also must protect the organization's reputation and ensure that your knowledge of the job is up-to-date by maintaining personal networks or taking part in educational opportunities.
Types of counseling specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
