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Family worker vs family counselor

The differences between family 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 worker and a family counselor. Additionally, a family counselor has an average salary of $41,510, which is higher than the $36,992 average annual salary of a family worker.

The top three skills for a family worker include social work, foster care and child care. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.

Family worker vs family counselor overview

Family WorkerFamily Counselor
Yearly salary$36,992$41,510
Hourly rate$17.78$19.96
Growth rate9%14%
Number of jobs101,55293,253
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4241
Years of experience44

What does a family worker do?

A family worker's role is to provide an intervention with parents, children, and young persons to help improve outcomes for families and children. The job they do includes working with parents to help strengthen family relationships and their ability to provide support and be community involved closely. They implement a program that helps parents recognize a child's needs, encouraging child self-esteem development, and positive behavior. Moreover, other duties include giving referrals to other community services as required and to assess family progress.

What does a family counselor do?

A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.

Family worker vs family counselor salary

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

Family WorkerFamily Counselor
Average salary$36,992$41,510
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $48,000Between $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 worker and family counselor education

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

Family WorkerFamily Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeHunter College of the City University of New YorkCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Family worker vs family counselor demographics

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

Family WorkerFamily Counselor
Average age4241
Gender ratioMale, 15.1% Female, 84.9%Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%6%

Differences between family worker and family counselor duties and responsibilities

Family worker example responsibilities.

  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Create service plans and attend administrative case reviews at the DCFS office.
  • Work with families developing and implementing permanent plan in accordance with DCFS policy, procedures, and accreditation standards.
  • Mediate conflicts between patients, handle medical emergencies, assist patients in developing and implementing positive and cooperative living skills.
  • Accompany the families to the IEP meeting and help them deal with any issues or concerns that arise.
  • Assess and evaluate all refer students and make plans to implement any need social services such as following IEP plans.
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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.
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Family worker vs family counselor skills

Common family worker skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Foster Care, 11%
  • Child Care, 9%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 3%
Common family counselor skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Community Resources, 13%
  • POC, 7%
  • Family Support, 5%
  • Family Therapy, 5%
  • DOD, 4%

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