How To Become A Juvenile Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a juvenile counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Debra Minsky-Kelly,

Christopher Todd Belser Ph.D.

The average juvenile counselor salary is $43,252. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an criminal justice major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become a juvenile counselor. Juvenile counselors with a Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a juvenile counselor?

Debra Minsky-Kelly

Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College

I think there are two critical skills for social workers, whether they are first entering the workforce or seasoned professionals. These skills are humility and an appreciation for ambiguity in our work. A humble approach to our work empowers clients to become experts on their circumstances. Social workers are then positioned in a collaborative role to help clients use existing skills and resources to improve their situations. An appreciation for ambiguity is closely related to the idea of humility. It helps us to remember that practice situations we face in this field are often far more complicated than they appear on the surface. Thus, all social workers need to make a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing consultation with colleagues to ensure that multiple perspectives are included as we work to solve complex problems.

ScoreJuvenile CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,252

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 4.56%

Black or African American 11.43%

Hispanic or Latino 15.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 63.21%

Gender

female 52.11%

male 47.89%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a juvenile counselor

Explore juvenile counselor education requirements

Most common juvenile counselor degrees

Bachelor's

67.0 %

Associate

12.8 %

Master's

12.5 %

Start to develop specific juvenile counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Behavioral Issues	13.53%
Rehabilitation	12.04%
Mental Health	11.12%
Crisis Intervention	7.40%
Substance Abuse	6.04%

Complete relevant juvenile counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New juvenile counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a juvenile counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real juvenile counselor resumes.

Research juvenile counselor duties and responsibilities

Case managing, intakes, group and individual session, treatment plans, OASAS standards
Certify to administer adult and child CPR.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Conduct new inmate orientation including serving as a PREA educator for the unit.

Prepare your juvenile counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your juvenile counselor resume.

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