Direct care counselor vs direct care aide

The differences between direct care counselors and direct care aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care counselor has an average salary of $33,422, which is higher than the $30,429 average annual salary of a direct care aide.

The top three skills for a direct care counselor include crisis intervention, autism and CPR. The most important skills for a direct care aide are home health, foster care, and CPR.

Direct care counselor vs direct care aide overview

	Direct Care Counselor	Direct Care Aide
Yearly salary	$33,422	$30,429
Hourly rate	$16.07	$14.63
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	123,519	178,038
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Direct care counselor vs direct care aide salary

Direct care counselors and direct care aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Care Counselor	Direct Care Aide
Average salary	$33,422	$30,429
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	Between $22,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between direct care counselor and direct care aide education

There are a few differences between a direct care counselor and a direct care aide in terms of educational background:

	Direct Care Counselor	Direct Care Aide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Direct care counselor vs direct care aide demographics

Here are the differences between direct care counselors' and direct care aides' demographics:

	Direct Care Counselor	Direct Care Aide
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care counselor and direct care aide duties and responsibilities

Direct care counselor example responsibilities.

Obtain SCIP-R, CPR, and AMAP certifications.
Provide training to residents in improving ADL and independent living skills per the IHP and any/all relate behavior or medical requirements.
Obtain AMAP certification and administer medications under the supervision of assign nursing staff.
Provide direct care assistance for campers with autism, intellectual disabilities, and/or developmental delays.
Perform one-on-one supervision of children with disabilities including autism, complex mental health problems, and complex behavioral problems.
Help develop and carry-out treatment goals for individual clients as outlined in treatment plans and/or ISP goals and objectives.

Direct care aide example responsibilities.

Provide individuals appropriate assistance in completing ADL's, such as showering, toileting, transferring, dressing, and feeding.
Assist mentally disable adults with ADL's such as showering, grooming, oral care, eating, dressing and toileting.
Provide emotional and mental support to unstable patients and are experience in dealing with aggressive residents
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Advocate for disable children, help them thrive through completion of goals and one-on-one supervision SCIP, AMAP and CPR certify.
Dispense and administer medication to patients according to AMAP policies and procedures.

Direct care counselor vs direct care aide skills

Common direct care counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 12%
Autism, 11%
CPR, 10%
Developmental Disabilities, 10%
Incident Reports, 9%
Data Collection, 8%

Common direct care aide skills

Home Health, 17%
Foster Care, 10%
CPR, 9%
Patients, 7%
Meal Prep, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Care Counselor
Direct Care Counselor vs Direct Care Aide

Updated January 8, 2025

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