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The differences between licensed professional counselors and residential 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 residential counselor. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.
The top three skills for a licensed professional counselor include patients, social work and LPC. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $94,675 | $34,117 |
| Hourly rate | $45.52 | $16.40 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 153,612 | 81,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
Licensed professional counselors and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Average salary | $94,675 | $34,117 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $122,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | The Evergreens |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Education |
There are a few differences between a licensed professional counselor and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between licensed professional counselors' and residential counselors' demographics:
| Licensed Professional Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| 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% |