Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between licensed professional counselors and group counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a licensed professional counselor and a group counselor. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, which is higher than the $40,155 average annual salary of a group counselor.
The top three skills for a licensed professional counselor include patients, social work and LPC. The most important skills for a group counselor are mental health, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Group Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $94,675 | $40,155 |
| Hourly rate | $45.52 | $19.31 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 153,612 | 84,413 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A licensed professional counselor is a healthcare professional who specializes in providing therapy and counseling to patients with emotional and mental health issues. They listen to their patients and utilize various techniques to address concerns and help through the healing procedures. Their duties entail conducting interviews and evaluations, performing research and assessments, studying the patients' medical histories, providing consultations, and developing treatment plans that suit every patients' needs. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor monitors and records their patients' progress, adjusting treatments and medications as necessary.
A group counselor provides counseling services primarily in a group setting, aiming to provide clients with a supportive and healthy environment where they can work on different issues and reach personal goals. They typically conduct research and assessments, establish program objectives and guidelines, arrange various activities, and facilitate positive interactions to support one another. Additionally, a group counselor has the duty to implement policies and standards, create treatment plans, and optimize strategies to ensure clients receive optimal support and services.
Licensed professional counselors and group counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Group Counselor | |
| Average salary | $94,675 | $40,155 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $122,000 | Between $14,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | - |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | - |
There are a few differences between a licensed professional counselor and a group counselor in terms of educational background:
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Group Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between licensed professional counselors' and group counselors' demographics:
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Group Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% | Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |