Family preservation worker vs family counselor

The differences between family preservation workers and family 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 family preservation worker and a family counselor. Additionally, a family preservation worker has an average salary of $43,208, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.

The top three skills for a family preservation worker include social work, crisis intervention and child welfare. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.

Family preservation worker vs family counselor overview

	Family Preservation Worker	Family Counselor
Yearly salary	$43,208	$41,510
Hourly rate	$20.77	$19.96
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	41,993	93,253
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	4	4

Family preservation worker vs family counselor salary

Family preservation workers and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Family Preservation Worker	Family Counselor
Average salary	$43,208	$41,510
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $60,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between family preservation worker and family counselor education

There are a few differences between a family preservation worker and a family counselor in terms of educational background:

	Family Preservation Worker	Family Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	California State University - Long Beach

Family preservation worker vs family counselor demographics

Here are the differences between family preservation workers' and family counselors' demographics:

	Family Preservation Worker	Family Counselor
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 23.7% Female, 76.3%	Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between family preservation worker and family counselor duties and responsibilities

Family preservation worker example responsibilities.

Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
Provide information and support to transitioning foster youth during assessment, case planning or other permanency and transition-relate activities.
Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

Family counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Assist the clients in completing their DCF case plan, helping to remove any hindrances they may encounter.
Counsele and test patients who requesting confidential HIV testing services
Collaborate and coordinate patient care with resident/faculty physicians to provide appropriate levels of care to patients.
Receive and process referrals from DCF and community-base case managers for individuals suspect as substance abusers.
Utilize PowerPoint presentations to facilitate ongoing new student orientation, ensuring students understand rules and regulations.

Family preservation worker vs family counselor skills

Common family preservation worker skills

Social Work, 25%
Crisis Intervention, 12%
Child Welfare, 9%
Child Protective, 5%
Community Resources, 5%
Court Hearings, 5%

Common family counselor skills

Social Work, 22%
Community Resources, 13%
POC, 7%
Family Support, 5%
Family Therapy, 5%
DOD, 4%

Family Preservation Worker vs. similar jobs

Family Preservation Worker related careers

Family Preservation Worker related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Family Preservation Worker
Family Preservation Worker vs Family Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs