How To Become A Domestic Violence Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a domestic violence counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Virginia Schwindt

The average domestic violence counselor salary is $52,625. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an psychology major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a domestic violence counselor. Domestic violence counselors with a Certified Domestic Violence Counselor (CDVC) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 52,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a domestic violence counselor?

Virginia Schwindt

MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University

Take the licensing test as soon as you are able to, and be open to where you work. It is great to want a specific population or employer, but being open to other experiences may be where God wants you to be. Don't limit yourself because, as a social worker, you can do so many different things.

ScoreDomestic Violence CounselorUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,625

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.15%

Asian 6.32%

Black or African American 11.55%

Hispanic or Latino 22.62%

Unknown 5.17%

White 52.19%

Gender

female 86.09%

male 13.91%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a domestic violence counselor

Explore domestic violence counselor education requirements

Most common domestic violence counselor degrees

Bachelor's

60.2 %

Master's

21.1 %

Associate

10.5 %

Start to develop specific domestic violence counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Crisis Intervention	14.25%
Domestic Violence Victims	9.98%
Safety Planning	9.83%
Mental Health	7.03%
Social Work	6.26%

Complete relevant domestic violence counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New domestic violence counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a domestic violence counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real domestic violence counselor resumes.

Research domestic violence counselor duties and responsibilities

Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Conduct structured reminiscences and life review techniques with seniors to increase cognitive stimulation while promoting self-esteem among Alzheimer's patients.
Make contact with family or significant others to promote implementation of ISP and community stability.

Prepare your domestic violence counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your domestic violence counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a domestic violence counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable domestic violence counselor resume templates

Build a professional domestic violence counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your domestic violence counselor resume.

Apply for domestic violence counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a domestic violence counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do domestic violence counselors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Domestic violence counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

Pros

Working collaboratively with clients to help them understand themselves and experience their authentic selves. Learning from my clients.

Cons

Low pay

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

Serving people, impacting change in communities, never boring

Cons

pay is low for what you need to do

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Cons

It took me five years to get to a full-time caseload of clients, but my wife supported me with her full time job while my client load increased. Now I’m booked up 4 to five weeks in advance and making an excellent salary, living abroad in Switzerland.

Pros

I work for myself in my private practice as a Clinical Social Worker and Couples Therapist. I love the work that I do with teens and adults to help them overcome their issues in life.

What is a domestic violence counselor and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a domestic violence counselor?

Domestic violence counselor career paths

Key steps to become a domestic violence counselor

Explore domestic violence counselor education requirements

Most common domestic violence counselor degrees

Start to develop specific domestic violence counselor skills

Complete relevant domestic violence counselor training and internships

Research domestic violence counselor duties and responsibilities

Prepare your domestic violence counselor resume

Choose from 10+ customizable domestic violence counselor resume templates

Apply for domestic violence counselor jobs

How did you land your first domestic violence counselor job

Average domestic violence counselor salary

How do domestic violence counselors rate their job?

Domestic violence counselor reviews