Lead residential counselor vs direct care counselor

The differences between lead residential counselors and direct care counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead residential counselor has an average salary of $36,902, which is higher than the $33,422 average annual salary of a direct care counselor.

The top three skills for a lead residential counselor include autism, social work and medication administration. The most important skills for a direct care counselor are crisis intervention, autism, and CPR.

Lead residential counselor vs direct care counselor overview

	Lead Residential Counselor	Direct Care Counselor
Yearly salary	$36,902	$33,422
Hourly rate	$17.74	$16.07
Growth rate	10%	36%
Number of jobs	36,355	123,519
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	41	48
Years of experience	4	-

Lead residential counselor vs direct care counselor salary

Lead residential counselors and direct care counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Residential Counselor	Direct Care Counselor
Average salary	$36,902	$33,422
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $22,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Boston Higashi School	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between lead residential counselor and direct care counselor education

There are a few differences between a lead residential counselor and a direct care counselor in terms of educational background:

	Lead Residential Counselor	Direct Care Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Boston University	-

Lead residential counselor vs direct care counselor demographics

Here are the differences between lead residential counselors' and direct care counselors' demographics:

	Lead Residential Counselor	Direct Care Counselor
Average age	41	48
Gender ratio	Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7%	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	15%	7%

Differences between lead residential counselor and direct care counselor duties and responsibilities

Lead residential counselor example responsibilities.

Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
Assist in maintaining IEP goals in order to avoid regression.
Deliver evidence-based treatment to children with ADHD and other behavioral disorders.

Direct care counselor example responsibilities.

Obtain SCIP-R, CPR, and AMAP certifications.
Provide training to residents in improving ADL and independent living skills per the IHP and any/all relate behavior or medical requirements.
Obtain AMAP certification and administer medications under the supervision of assign nursing staff.
Provide direct care assistance for campers with autism, intellectual disabilities, and/or developmental delays.
Perform one-on-one supervision of children with disabilities including autism, complex mental health problems, and complex behavioral problems.
Help develop and carry-out treatment goals for individual clients as outlined in treatment plans and/or ISP goals and objectives.

Lead residential counselor vs direct care counselor skills

Common lead residential counselor skills

Autism, 16%
Social Work, 15%
Medication Administration, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
CPR, 8%
Developmental Disabilities, 7%

Common direct care counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 12%
Autism, 11%
CPR, 10%
Developmental Disabilities, 10%
Incident Reports, 9%
Data Collection, 8%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Lead Residential Counselor
Lead Residential Counselor vs Direct Care Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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