Developmental training counselor vs direct support professional

The differences between developmental training counselors and direct support professionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $27,426 average annual salary of a developmental training counselor.

The top three skills for a developmental training counselor include developmental disabilities, CPR and direct support. The most important skills for a direct support professional are direct support, developmental disabilities, and autism.

Developmental training counselor vs direct support professional overview

	Developmental Training Counselor	Direct Support Professional
Yearly salary	$27,426	$32,077
Hourly rate	$13.19	$15.42
Growth rate	11%	36%
Number of jobs	74,723	142,034
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	45	48
Years of experience	12	-

Developmental training counselor vs direct support professional salary

Developmental training counselors and direct support professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Developmental Training Counselor	Direct Support Professional
Average salary	$27,426	$32,077
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $32,000	Between $18,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between developmental training counselor and direct support professional education

There are a few differences between a developmental training counselor and a direct support professional in terms of educational background:

	Developmental Training Counselor	Direct Support Professional
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Duke University	-

Developmental training counselor vs direct support professional demographics

Here are the differences between developmental training counselors' and direct support professionals' demographics:

	Developmental Training Counselor	Direct Support Professional
Average age	45	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	21%	7%

Differences between developmental training counselor and direct support professional duties and responsibilities

Developmental training counselor example responsibilities.

Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Create and use linguistic bridges for ESL students.
Ensure HIPAA privacy act and labor conditions/laws are followed.
Present findings with recommendations to the IEP meeting participants.
Administer medications per DDS regulations.
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.

Direct support professional example responsibilities.

Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
Assist with toileting, including urinals.
Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

Developmental training counselor vs direct support professional skills

Common developmental training counselor skills

Developmental Disabilities, 26%
CPR, 17%
Direct Support, 14%
ADL, 14%
CPI, 13%
Intellectual Disabilities, 5%

Common direct support professional skills

Direct Support, 19%
Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Autism, 9%
Direct Care, 7%
DSP, 7%
Mental Health, 6%

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Developmental Training Counselor
Developmental Training Counselor vs Direct Support Professional

Updated January 8, 2025

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