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Counselor vs education counselor

The differences between counselors and education counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an education counselor has an average salary of $45,465, 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 an education counselor are mental health, crisis intervention, and financial aid.

Counselor vs education counselor overview

CounselorEducation Counselor
Yearly salary$36,225$45,465
Hourly rate$17.42$21.86
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs77,53640,323
Job satisfaction2-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4442
Years of experience--

What does a counselor do?

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.

What does an education counselor do?

The work of education counselors revolves around giving students advice about their course choice, career structuring, and supporting them in their school endeavors. They must have the empathy to help students adjust to their everyday struggles and personal conflicts. They often give students information about scholarship grants and help them apply. They organize seminars talking about alcohol consumption and smoking. Counselors also discuss strategies to improve school performance regarding overall counseling services.

Counselor vs education counselor salary

Counselors and education counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

CounselorEducation Counselor
Average salary$36,225$45,465
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $67,000Between $33,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying company-Silicon Valley International School
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between counselor and education counselor education

There are a few differences between a counselor and an education counselor in terms of educational background:

CounselorEducation Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Counselor vs education counselor demographics

Here are the differences between counselors' and education counselors' demographics:

CounselorEducation Counselor
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 38.5% Female, 61.5%Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage9%11%

Differences between counselor and education counselor duties and responsibilities

Counselor example responsibilities.

  • Maintain a safe program through ongoing CPI training.
  • Utilize de-escalation skills (CPI) when necessary.
  • Instill confidence, improve all components of writing and reading, and study strategies.
  • Arrange ESL tutoring and perform as liaison between students, parents, and school administrators.
  • Advise students into their major field of study, and assisting them with choosing the correct curriculum.
  • Operate a full service litigation office that evolve from general litigation to criminal litigation to federal criminal trials.
  • Show more

Education counselor example responsibilities.

  • Provide consultation and in-service to teachers, administrators and parents regarding IEP's, guidance and counseling practices and programs.
  • Collaborate as member of IEP teams, with school and district representatives and families, to identify specific student needs areas.
  • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
  • Participate in special education meetings as administrator, coordinate state testing and assist with RTI identifications.
  • Facilitate RTI process on caseload through identification, implementation, and through monitoring progress for further referrals for at-risk students.
  • Ensure client safety and provide necessary intervention toward adolescent teens admit into an inpatient drug and mental health treatment facility.

Counselor vs education counselor skills

Common counselor skills
  • Patients, 13%
  • Crisis Intervention, 12%
  • Substance Abuse, 12%
  • Social Work, 10%
  • Community Resources, 4%
  • CPR, 4%
Common education counselor skills
  • Mental Health, 11%
  • Crisis Intervention, 10%
  • Financial Aid, 6%
  • Behavioral Problems, 6%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 5%
  • Educational Programs, 5%

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