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The differences between counselors and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, 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 program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,225 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 77,536 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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 Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Counselors and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,225 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $67,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a counselor and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between counselors' and program counselors' demographics:
| Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| 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% |