What does an intervention specialist do?
An intervention specialist is responsible for assisting children with special education and social adjustment needs in schools and other educational settings. You will be responsible for designing, executing, and assessing programs based on different factors, including gender, cultural background, and age. Other tasks that you will likely perform include working closely with teachers to discuss the subject matter with students, ensuring children and occupied and safe, and maintaining records of children's performance and lesson plans. An intervention specialist is also responsible for adhering to individualized education programs.
Intervention specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real intervention specialist resumes:
- Conduct mental health triage; make appropriate dispositions to other inpatient units with the local area.
- Coordinate with parents, general education teachers, service providers in all aspects of the IEP and ETR annual review process.
- Assist families with children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
- Track students' GPA, college and career goals.
- Supervise employees and train for EIS certification through DARS and state of Texas.
- Perform crisis phone triage, mobile face to face assessments and arrange for respite services.
- Create and provide a full spectrum counseling program for 580 Pre-K to 12th grade students.
- Plan groups for patients and keep them positively focuse on activities allowing for positive redirection from target behaviors.
- Teach classroom guidance lessons on topics such as self-control, self-esteem, social skills, and study skills.
- Attend and participate in SST meetings, develop 504 plans, perform classroom observations, and complete IEP/BIP/FBA/CIP's.
- Deliver the elementary school counseling curriculum to all students Pre-K 2nd grade in academic, career, and personal/social domains.
- Provide educational training regarding autism to staff.
- Develop individual educational plans (IEP) design to promote educational and social development.
- Conduct disease investigation interviews with patients recently diagnose with syphilis or new HIV infections.
- Provide interpretation/translation services at IFSP meetings to Spanish-speaking families.
Intervention specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Intervention Specialists are proficient in Mental Health, Social Work, and Crisis Intervention. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Intervention Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Mental Health, 13%
Provided intensive counseling services to over 50 children and their families who experienced mental health, developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges.
- Social Work, 9%
Worked closely with team of social workers and specialists to create integrated management strategies for families with children facing developmental difficulties.
- Crisis Intervention, 6%
Provide crisis intervention counseling, safety planning and community connections via referrals to victims of violence/violent crime and domestic violence.
- Classroom Management, 5%
Deliver positive behavior support in classroom management including feedback on implementation on teacher's classroom plans.
- Group Sessions, 5%
Developed and facilitated focus/informational group sessions relevant to issues faced by youth demographic, including gender specific programming.
- IEP, 4%
Design individually based activities including TEACCH Boxes and educational games to improve specific academic performance based on IEP goals and objectives.
"mental health," "social work," and "crisis intervention" are among the most common skills that intervention specialists use at work. You can find even more intervention specialist responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. Many intervention specialist duties rely on organizational skills. "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment.," so an intervention specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways intervention specialist responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "provide instruction, behavioral modification and organizational strategies and remediation of study skills, in a self-contained classroom environment. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of intervention specialists is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday intervention specialist duties, as "social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "organized programs for young adults in the english avenue community in conflict resolution, professional development, and personal life skills. "
Communication skills. intervention specialist responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives." This resume example shows what intervention specialists do with communication skills on a typical day: "provide precise, accurate and comprehensive documentation of all services , professional development and communication with all stakeholders. "
Interpersonal skills. Another common skill required for intervention specialist responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." This skill comes up in the duties of intervention specialists all the time, as "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." An excerpt from a real intervention specialist resume shows how this skill is central to what an intervention specialist does: "exemplified good interpersonal and crisis intervention skills, including oral and written communications, and group facilitation. "
The three companies that hire the most intervention specialists are:
- YAI44 intervention specialists jobs
- ProCare Therapy40 intervention specialists jobs
- Soliant39 intervention specialists jobs
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Compare different intervention specialists
Intervention specialist vs. School counselor
A school counselor is responsible for monitoring the students' social and personal development, advising them of their career aspirations, and assisting them with their academic achievements and goals. School counselors also ensure that the students receive the highest learning standards to pave their way towards society's advancement and global competitiveness. They evaluate students' behavior through personal counseling, understanding their challenges, and develop strategies to overcome their needs. A school counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, supporting students with their goals, and honing their skills efficiently.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, intervention specialist responsibilities require skills like "autism," "patients," "developmental disabilities," and "mathematics." Meanwhile a typical school counselor has skills in areas such as "cpr," "child abuse," "financial aid," and "academic performance." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
School counselors really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $52,385. Comparatively, intervention specialists tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $52,625.The education levels that school counselors earn slightly differ from intervention specialists. In particular, school counselors are 11.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an intervention specialist. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Intervention specialist vs. Youth counselor
A Youth Counselor's role is to provide guidance and interact with children or teenagers in need of care and counseling. The duty of a Youth Counselor is diverse, and it highly depends on the organization or employer. However, the responsibilities mostly revolve around establishing rapport with the youngster while trying to work on their issues, ensuring their welfare by monitoring their emotional and physical state, coordinating with families or other facilities, suggesting treatments, and performing crisis intervention if necessary.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real intervention specialist resumes. While intervention specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "classroom management," "group sessions," "iep," and "autism," youth counselors use skills like "direct care," "cpr," "necessary paperwork," and "emergency first aid."
Youth counselors may earn a lower salary than intervention specialists, but youth counselors earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $38,048. On the other hand, intervention specialists receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,625.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Youth counselors tend to reach lower levels of education than intervention specialists. In fact, they're 15.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for intervention specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Lesley Casarez Ph.D.
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
Intervention specialist vs. Case manager
A case manager is responsible for giving advice, handling plans for the client's recovery, and connecting with other human service professionals to ask for further options and recommendations for the client's concerns. Case managers should have excellent communication and listening skills to evaluate the client's needs, ensuring that they will have the utmost care and safety through efficient advocacy. A case manager should be able to provide a reliable support system for the client and monitor progress to achieve wellness and guarantee satisfaction.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, intervention specialists are more likely to have skills like "classroom management," "autism," "mathematics," and "professional development." But a case manager is more likely to have skills like "rehabilitation," "discharge planning," "patient care," and "home health."
Case managers earn the highest salary when working in the insurance industry, where they receive an average salary of $50,652. Comparatively, intervention specialists have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $52,625.case managers typically earn lower educational levels compared to intervention specialists. Specifically, they're 9.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Intervention specialist vs. Mental health worker
A mental health worker is an individual who provides basic care and therapy to patients who are inflicted with mental disabilities or developmental disabilities. Mental health workers assist patients with their daily activities, monitor their conditions, and administer therapeutic care. They may be directly supervised by a registered nurse and can work in facilities such as psychiatric hospitals and residential mental health facilities. They may also help develop treatment plans and strategies with other staff members to best meet patient needs.
Types of intervention specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
