Crisis intervention specialist vs clinical counselor

The differences between crisis intervention specialists and clinical counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a crisis intervention specialist and a clinical counselor. Additionally, a crisis intervention specialist has an average salary of $54,678, which is higher than the $54,191 average annual salary of a clinical counselor.

The top three skills for a crisis intervention specialist include social work, patients and substance abuse. The most important skills for a clinical counselor are social work, patients, and foster care.

Crisis intervention specialist vs clinical counselor overview

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Clinical Counselor
Yearly salary	$54,678	$54,191
Hourly rate	$26.29	$26.05
Growth rate	9%	17%
Number of jobs	80,817	146,133
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a crisis intervention specialist do?

A crisis intervention specialist provides counseling services and intervention to patients in high-stress situations. Their responsibilities include conducting assessments to understand the clients' conditions, studying their medical histories and personal background, developing treatment plans, and regularly monitoring their behavior and progress. They may also coordinate with the patients' families or guardians, provide care advice, or refer patients to other specialists when necessary. Moreover, a crisis intervention specialist gives emotional support and guidance to patients, helping them deal with stress.

What does a clinical counselor do?

A Clinical Counselor interviews clients to assess their mental health and behavioral problems. They examine issues such as substance abuse, depression, stress, aging and self-image.

Crisis intervention specialist vs clinical counselor salary

Crisis intervention specialists and clinical counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Clinical Counselor
Average salary	$54,678	$54,191
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $73,000	Between $43,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Maryland
Best paying company	Legacy Health	Novo Nordisk
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between crisis intervention specialist and clinical counselor education

There are a few differences between a crisis intervention specialist and a clinical counselor in terms of educational background:

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Clinical Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Crisis intervention specialist vs clinical counselor demographics

Here are the differences between crisis intervention specialists' and clinical counselors' demographics:

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Clinical Counselor
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between crisis intervention specialist and clinical counselor duties and responsibilities

Crisis intervention specialist example responsibilities.

Provide clinical assessments, crisis intervention and supportive counseling for patients who are involuntary admissions.
Provide content lead support on mathematics assessment projects/contracts.
Provide mathematics content expertise and consultation to meet and support customer specify goals.
Prepare, arrange, and facilitate involuntary and voluntary inpatient psychiatric hospitalization placement for patients when clinically indicate.
Provide individual counseling, weekly psycho-educational groups in DBT and substance abuse prevention, crisis intervention and administration of clinical intakes.
Author and review items for ESL assessments, including TOEFL and TOEIC tests.

Clinical counselor example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload of individuals in programs design to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the developmentally disable.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Perform client intake assessments and conduct monthly assessments to identify progress of patients and determine individuals ready to graduate from program.
Review charts to ensure that they are in compliance with OASAS standards.
Initial assessment, diagnosis, ASAM criteria, treatment planning , 3rd party contact, group and individual therapy.
Maintain appropriate documentation per NYS OASAS regulations and APG guidelines

Crisis intervention specialist vs clinical counselor skills

Common crisis intervention specialist skills

Social Work, 15%
Patients, 12%
Substance Abuse, 7%
Community Resources, 5%
Crisis Stabilization, 5%
Triage, 4%

Common clinical counselor skills

Social Work, 36%
Patients, 8%
Foster Care, 7%
Independent Living, 6%
Child Abuse, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

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Crisis Intervention Specialist
Crisis Intervention Specialist vs Clinical Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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