Counselor vs student services counselor

The differences between counselors and student services counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student services counselor has an average salary of $41,175, 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 student services counselor are customer service, financial aid, and student services.

Counselor vs student services counselor overview

	Counselor	Student Services Counselor
Yearly salary	$36,225	$41,175
Hourly rate	$17.42	$19.80
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	77,536	104,698
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	44	42
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 a student services counselor do?

Student Services is a part of the school program that focuses on helping students in their studies. A Student Services Counselor handles this task and is the contact person for all students who need help or who have problems and issues requiring solutions and answers. In a culturally diverse population in schools, it is the student service counselor's job to connect each student to relevant student service programs available in the school. Ultimately, the welfare of the students and their success in school is the goal of this position.

Counselor vs student services counselor salary

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

	Counselor	Student Services Counselor
Average salary	$36,225	$41,175
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $67,000	Between $27,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between counselor and student services counselor education

There are a few differences between a counselor and a student services counselor in terms of educational background:

	Counselor	Student Services Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Counselor vs student services counselor demographics

Here are the differences between counselors' and student services counselors' demographics:

	Counselor	Student Services Counselor
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5%	Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	11%

Differences between counselor and student services 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.

Student services counselor example responsibilities.

Assist in all aspects of the FAFSA, insuring that every eligible student apply accurately.
Verify FAFSA applications for accuracy.
Plan retention and recruitment opportunities for students, prospective employers and alumni through interdepartmental and professional cooperative efforts.
Create, construct and maintain a student info PowerPoint presentation.
Draft general email correspondence, introduction/thank you letters, excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
Develop formal policies/procedures for daily operations such as program approvals/tracking, financial tracking systems, staff meetings and leadership opportunities.

Counselor vs student services counselor skills

Common counselor skills

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

Common student services counselor skills

Customer Service, 18%
Financial Aid, 11%
Student Services, 10%
Social Work, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Mental Health, 4%

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Counselor vs Student Services Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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