Hospice social worker vs family counselor

The differences between hospice social workers and family counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a hospice social worker, becoming a family counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a hospice social worker has an average salary of $52,859, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.

The top three skills for a hospice social worker include social work, patients and home health. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.

Hospice social worker vs family counselor overview

	Hospice Social Worker	Family Counselor
Yearly salary	$52,859	$41,510
Hourly rate	$25.41	$19.96
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	110,787	93,253
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	2	4

What does a hospice social worker do?

A hospice social worker is primarily in charge of providing emotional support and guidance to terminally-ill patients and their families, aiming to give them comfort and assistance in various procedures. Their responsibilities include identifying the needs of patients and their families through visitations or appointments, coordinating with nurses and physicians, and serving as a patient advocate by providing them with spiritual and emotional comfort. Furthermore, as a hospice social worker, it is essential to assist families with the bereavement processes, referring them to other programs as necessary.

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.

Hospice social worker vs family counselor salary

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Family Counselor
Average salary	$52,859	$41,510
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $67,000	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 hospice social worker and family counselor education

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Family Counselor
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Hospice social worker vs family counselor demographics

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Family Counselor
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%	Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	13%	6%

Differences between hospice social worker and family counselor duties and responsibilities

Hospice social worker example responsibilities.

Collaborate with multidisciplinary team to provide necessary referrals and counseling to achieve establish patient goals.
Provide support, education and compassion to patients and family members.
Assist patients and families with obtaining necessary insurances such as Medicaid, etc.
Provide advocacy and support services to terminally ill patients, families and/or significant others to maximize benefits and limit out-of-pocket expenses.
Work as lead MSW on all pediatric hospice cases.
Work with other members of the IDT to track and document changes to the patient's status, coping, etc.

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.

Hospice social worker vs family counselor skills

Common hospice social worker skills

Social Work, 29%
Patients, 19%
Home Health, 11%
MSW, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common family counselor skills

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

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Community and Social Services Industry
Hospice Social Worker
Hospice Social Worker vs Family Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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