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The differences between counselors and community health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a community health counselor has an average salary of $43,304, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.
The top three skills for a counselor include patients, crisis intervention and substance abuse. The most important skills for a community health counselor are social work, behavioral health, and patients.
| Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,225 | $43,304 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $20.82 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 77,536 | 131,804 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
Counselors and community health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,225 | $43,304 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $67,000 | Between $29,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a counselor and a community health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between counselors' and community health counselors' demographics:
| Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 15% |