Counselor vs social worker

The differences between counselors and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, 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 social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Counselor vs social worker overview

	Counselor	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$36,225	$50,102
Hourly rate	$17.42	$24.09
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	77,536	77,340
Job satisfaction	2	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	44	45
Years of experience	-	2

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 a social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Counselor vs social worker salary

Counselors and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counselor	Social Worker
Average salary	$36,225	$50,102
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $67,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between counselor and social worker education

There are a few differences between a counselor and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Counselor	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Counselor vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between counselors' and social workers' demographics:

	Counselor	Social Worker
Average age	44	45
Gender ratio	Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	13%

Differences between counselor and social worker 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.

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Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

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Counselor vs social worker skills

Common counselor skills

Patients, 13%
Crisis Intervention, 12%
Substance Abuse, 12%
Social Work, 10%
Community Resources, 4%
CPR, 4%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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