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The differences between counselors and family counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a family counselor has an average salary of $41,510, 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 family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.
| Counselor | Family Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,225 | $41,510 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $19.96 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 77,536 | 93,253 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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 Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.
Counselors and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counselor | Family Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,225 | $41,510 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $67,000 | Between $27,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a counselor and a family counselor in terms of educational background:
| Counselor | Family Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between counselors' and family counselors' demographics:
| Counselor | Family Counselor | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| 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, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |