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The differences between family service workers 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 family service worker, becoming a service counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a family service worker has an average salary of $37,674, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.
The top three skills for a family service worker include social work, foster care and child abuse. The most important skills for a service counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.
| Family Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,674 | $35,402 |
| Hourly rate | $18.11 | $17.02 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 111,599 | 44,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A family service worker is in charge of providing support services to families in a community, referring them to other agencies or programs as needed. They serve as the primary point of contact of family members, ensuring they maintain an active line of communication. Their responsibilities typically revolve around enrolling family members into social services programs, gathering and verifying information, maintaining databases, and assisting in all procedures, all while updating families for any progress. Furthermore, a family service worker needs to coordinate with other social workers to provide the most effective service.
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.
Family service workers and service counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Family Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Average salary | $37,674 | $35,402 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $49,000 | Between $24,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Washington County | |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a family service worker and a service counselor in terms of educational background:
| Family Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Hunter College of the City University of New York | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between family service workers' and service counselors' demographics:
| Family Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| 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, 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 | 10% | 11% |