Crisis intervention specialist vs service counselor

The differences between crisis intervention specialists and service counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a crisis intervention specialist, becoming a service counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a crisis intervention specialist has an average salary of $54,678, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.

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

Crisis intervention specialist vs service counselor overview

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Service Counselor
Yearly salary	$54,678	$35,402
Hourly rate	$26.29	$17.02
Growth rate	9%	12%
Number of jobs	80,817	44,284
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	4	12

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 service counselor do?

Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.

Crisis intervention specialist vs service counselor salary

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

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Service Counselor
Average salary	$54,678	$35,402
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $73,000	Between $24,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Legacy Health	Google
Best paying industry	Professional	Education

Differences between crisis intervention specialist and service counselor education

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

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Service Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	SUNY at Binghamton

Crisis intervention specialist vs service counselor demographics

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

	Crisis Intervention Specialist	Service Counselor
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	11%

Differences between crisis intervention specialist and service 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.

Service counselor example responsibilities.

Develop contracting strategy to build capacity and achieve ongoing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid provider network adequacy requirements.
Implement patient financial services department to assist patients and family members to ensure successful patient representation and expeditious benefit recovery.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Crisis intervention specialist vs service counselor skills

Common crisis intervention specialist skills

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

Common service counselor skills

Social Work, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patients, 7%
Support Services, 6%
Social Services, 6%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Crisis Intervention Specialist
Crisis Intervention Specialist vs Service Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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