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The differences between counselors and service counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a counselor has an average salary of $36,225, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.
The top three skills for a counselor include patients, crisis intervention and substance abuse. The most important skills for a service counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.
| Counselor | Service Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,225 | $35,402 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $17.02 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 77,536 | 44,284 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
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.
Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.
Counselors and service counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counselor | Service Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,225 | $35,402 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $67,000 | Between $24,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a counselor and a service counselor in terms of educational background:
| Counselor | Service Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between counselors' and service counselors' demographics:
| Counselor | Service Counselor | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |