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What does a counselor technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Lesley Casarez Ph.D.
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Counselor technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real counselor technician resumes:

  • Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
  • Transport clients to AA and NA meetings.
  • Transport clients to N/A or AA meetings each day, and also to the YMCA for recreational purposes.
  • Provide written documentation, facilitate group and individual programming and ensure safety of patients.
  • Supervise and/or escort patients in their medical and/or therapeutic treatments conduct by other professionals.
  • Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
  • Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

Counselor technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Counselor Technicians are proficient in Intellectual Property, Patients, and Substance Abuse. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Compassion, and Listening skills.

We break down the percentage of Counselor Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Intellectual Property, 17%

    Worked with corporate executives and outside counsel on intellectual property matters including copyright, trademark, licensing, and litigation.

  • Patients, 11%

    Assist in admission and discharge of patients - Practice universal precautions and environmental safety guidelines.

  • Substance Abuse, 10%

    Diagnosed and treated substance abuse using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 12-Steps, and Motivational Interviewing.

  • Litigation, 9%

    Supervised litigation and transactional matters for six major motion picture studio member companies.

  • Mental Health, 7%

    Worked closely with the Mental Health program at the hospital, Department of Behavioral Health and ADABI.

  • Crisis Intervention, 6%

    Conduct individual and group counseling sessions implementing behavior management systems and conducting crisis intervention counseling as necessary.

Common skills that a counselor technician uses to do their job include "intellectual property," "patients," and "substance abuse." You can find details on the most important counselor technician responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a counselor technician to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Additionally, a counselor technician resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "roomed patient provide transportation to various na meetings dispense medications promote sober, healthy living data entry customer service urinalysis analyzer vitals"

Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling counselor technician duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be able to empathize with their clients and students." According to a counselor technician resume, here's how counselor technicians can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "worked directly under the registered nurse to offer great, compassionate care to patients. "

Listening skills. This is an important skill for counselor technicians to perform their duties. For an example of how counselor technician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a counselor technician: "support callers in crisis and non-crisis situations utilizing active listening skills. ".

Speaking skills. For certain counselor technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a counselor technician rely on this skill, as "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what counselor technicians do: "facilitated and directed group counseling.developed, maintained, and presented prevention and education materials to the patients. "

Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in counselor technician job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what counselor technicians do. Counselor technician responsibilities rely on this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." You can also see how counselor technician duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "facilitated interpersonal and independent living skill groups. "

Most common counselor technician skills

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Compare different counselor technicians

Counselor technician vs. Chemical dependency professional

Behavioral Analyst supports and implements a plan to help patients overcome social and mental disabilities. They are involved in assessing patients' behavior in school, homes, or communities, implementing behavioral plans, updating therapy notes to track progress, and communicating with staff, families, and teachers in relaying the client's needs. A behavioral analyst must have good knowledge in applied behavior analysis, proficient report writing, and have comprehension in creating individualized education programs to help improve client behavior.

If we compare the average counselor technician annual salary with that of a chemical dependency professional, we find that chemical dependency professionals typically earn a $5,195 higher salary than counselor technicians make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both counselor technician and chemical dependency professional positions are skilled in patients, substance abuse, and mental health.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between counselor technicians and chemical dependency professional. For instance, counselor technician responsibilities require skills such as "intellectual property," "litigation," "cpr," and "vital signs." Whereas a chemical dependency professional is skilled in "cdp," "treatment services," "substance use disorders," and "asam." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Chemical dependency professionals tend to reach higher levels of education than counselor technicians. In fact, chemical dependency professionals are 5.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Counselor technician vs. Behavioral interventionist

Behavioral interventionist positions earn lower pay than counselor technician roles. They earn a $3,055 lower salary than counselor technicians per year.A few skills overlap for counselor technicians and behavioral interventionists. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "mental health," "crisis intervention," and "cpr. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real counselor technician resumes. While counselor technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "intellectual property," "patients," "substance abuse," and "litigation," behavioral interventionists use skills like "autism," "behavior analysis," "aba," and "applied behavior analysis."

On average, behavioral interventionists earn a lower salary than counselor technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, behavioral interventionists earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $40,036. Whereas counselor technicians have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $39,688.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Behavioral interventionists tend to reach similar levels of education than counselor technicians. In fact, they're 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for counselor technicians in the next 3-5 years?

Lesley Casarez Ph.D.Lesley Casarez Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University

Graduates will need to learn to use technology in which virtual platforms are taking place and web conferencing platforms. Numerous platforms are being used, so the particular platform itself is not as crucial as being well-versed in how virtual education differs from face-to-face environments. Typically, the instructional role in online learning is more of a facilitator, as the educator guides the students to think critically, integrate, and apply new knowledge. This may be difficult for educators who would rather stand in front of a classroom and pass on their knowledge through lecture-based formats. Additionally, being well-versed in various web conferencing platforms will benefit graduates, as they move into a career that is currently requiring communication in virtual environments.

Counselor technician vs. Addiction therapist

On average scale, addiction therapists bring in higher salaries than counselor technicians. In fact, they earn a $10,957 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on counselor technicians and addiction therapists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "crisis intervention," and "group therapy sessions.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from counselor technician resumes include skills like "intellectual property," "substance abuse," "litigation," and "mental health," whereas an addiction therapist is more likely to list skills in "social work," "chemical dependency," "continuous improvement," and "client care. "

Most addiction therapists achieve a higher degree level compared to counselor technicians. For example, they're 31.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Counselor technician vs. Behavioral analyst

Behavioral analysts typically earn higher pay than counselor technicians. On average, behavioral analysts earn a $27,154 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, counselor technicians and behavioral analysts both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "substance abuse," "mental health," and "crisis intervention. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "intellectual property," "patients," "litigation," and "vital signs" are skills that commonly show up on counselor technician resumes. On the other hand, behavioral analysts use skills like autism, bcba, applied behavior analysis, and developmental disabilities on their resumes.The health care industry tends to pay the highest salaries for behavioral analysts, with average annual pay of $65,732. Comparatively, the highest counselor technician annual salary comes from the education industry.In general, behavioral analysts hold higher degree levels compared to counselor technicians. Behavioral analysts are 6.5% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of counselor technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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