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Counselor vs student support counselor

The differences between counselors and student support counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student support counselor has an average salary of $41,329, 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 support counselor are student support, mental health, and crisis intervention.

Counselor vs student support counselor overview

CounselorStudent Support Counselor
Yearly salary$36,225$41,329
Hourly rate$17.42$19.87
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs77,536134,839
Job satisfaction2-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4442
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 support counselor do?

A student support counselor is responsible for identifying the students' strengths and challenges through one-on-one counseling and establishing solutions to help them overcome difficulties and achieve their educational goals and aspirations. Student support counselors assist the faculty in determining appropriate programs and activities to develop the students' capabilities, especially as a way of preparing them with their career objectives. They also coordinate with the students' families for extended guidance and support for their growth and development.

Counselor vs student support counselor salary

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

CounselorStudent Support Counselor
Average salary$36,225$41,329
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $67,000Between $29,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City-Teaneck, NJ
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying company-Mercy College
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between counselor and student support counselor education

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

CounselorStudent Support Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Counselor vs student support counselor demographics

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

CounselorStudent Support Counselor
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 38.5% Female, 61.5%Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage9%11%

Differences between counselor and student support 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.
  • Show more

Student support counselor example responsibilities.

  • Maintain confidentiality relating to treatment while keeping organize and up to date IEP's, and medical records file accordingly.
  • Attend IEP meetings of students on caseload and present to the IEP team a clinical progress report with counseling goals.
  • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
  • Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

Counselor vs student support counselor skills

Common counselor skills
  • Patients, 13%
  • Crisis Intervention, 12%
  • Substance Abuse, 12%
  • Social Work, 10%
  • Community Resources, 4%
  • CPR, 4%
Common student support counselor skills
  • Student Support, 18%
  • Mental Health, 11%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • Behavioral Issues, 5%
  • Financial Aid, 4%

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