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Guidance counselor vs psychologist

The differences between guidance counselors and psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychologist has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $48,154 average annual salary of a guidance counselor.

The top three skills for a guidance counselor include crisis intervention, community resources and mental health. The most important skills for a psychologist are patients, crisis intervention, and rehabilitation.

Guidance counselor vs psychologist overview

Guidance CounselorPsychologist
Yearly salary$48,154$97,803
Hourly rate$23.15$47.02
Growth rate10%6%
Number of jobs75,74012,516
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4247
Years of experience--

What does a guidance counselor do?

The primary role of a Guidance Counselor is to help students develop skills for success, both in academics and social development. They also develop and implement educational and counseling plans with modern methods of teaching and mentoring.

What does a psychologist do?

Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.

Guidance counselor vs psychologist salary

Guidance counselors and psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Guidance CounselorPsychologist
Average salary$48,154$97,803
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $64,000Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyPoly Prep Country Day SchoolSierra Corporation
Best paying industryEducationHealth Care

Differences between guidance counselor and psychologist education

There are a few differences between a guidance counselor and a psychologist in terms of educational background:

Guidance CounselorPsychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorSchool CounselingPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Guidance counselor vs psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between guidance counselors' and psychologists' demographics:

Guidance CounselorPsychologist
Average age4247
Gender ratioMale, 31.3% Female, 68.7%Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%20%

Differences between guidance counselor and psychologist duties and responsibilities

Guidance counselor example responsibilities.

  • Utilize Salesforce to manage advertising programs for business owners.
  • Administer TACHS, PSAT, and other statewide examinations.
  • Provide individual counseling to students upon their request, SST referrals, or that of a teacher.
  • Utilize RTI for curriculum design and to identify students in need of extra academic & behavioral support.
  • Contribute to IEP manifestation meetings with students-parents-teachers.
  • Complete student educational assessments for upcoming IEP meetings.
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Psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
  • Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
  • Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
  • Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
  • Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
  • Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.
  • Show more

Guidance counselor vs psychologist skills

Common guidance counselor skills
  • Crisis Intervention, 10%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Professional Development, 4%
  • Financial Aid, 4%
  • Conflict Resolution, 4%
Common psychologist skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 5%
  • APA, 4%

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