Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between intake counselors and counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an intake counselor has an average salary of $44,574, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.
The top three skills for an intake counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a counselor are patients, crisis intervention, and substance abuse.
| Intake Counselor | Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $44,574 | $36,225 |
| Hourly rate | $21.43 | $17.42 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 77,050 | 77,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
An intake counselor is responsible for monitoring patients with mental disability and substance abuse cases, administering treatment plans according to their medical histories and current needs. Intake counselors diagnose patients' conditions through psychological tests and regular counseling. They also coordinate with the patients' family members, as well as other health professionals, to assess the patients' treatment needs. An intake counselor may also handle the payment for treatment plans and reaching out to the insurance provider upon discussing the patient's case.
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
Intake counselors and counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Intake Counselor | Counselor | |
| Average salary | $44,574 | $36,225 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $60,000 | Between $19,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Scottsdale, AZ | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | HonorHealth | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between an intake counselor and a counselor in terms of educational background:
| Intake Counselor | Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between intake counselors' and counselors' demographics:
| Intake Counselor | Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.5% Female, 74.5% | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |