What does a living specialist do?
A living specialist is a person who is responsible for assisting and guiding individuals that have difficulties caring for themselves. They are the person who helps them in doing household chores and guiding them throughout the cleaning process. This career is an important position in society because it provides care for those who are in need.
Living specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real living specialist resumes:
- Ensure the facilities' mission are achieved by effectively supervising the mental health rehabilitative efforts of severely and chronically ill patients.
- Conduct comprehensive care assessments to determine client eligibility for Medicaid fund home health assistance.
- Provide education and vocational counseling for the individual and/or their family members and significant others to ensure healthy lifestyles and rehabilitation.
- Collaborate with community health councils and other community agencies to provide programs that enhance community awareness of health and safety.
Living specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Living Specialists are proficient in Independent Living, Community Resources, and Autism. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Time-management skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Living Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Independent Living, 13%
Provide individualized Peer Support to identify and overcome barriers to issues such as employment, independent living, transportation and self-advocacy.
- Community Resources, 9%
Provided support and community resources to consumer with disabilities to maintain their independence in their community.
- Autism, 8%
Implemented All Service Plan programming for individuals experiencing autism.
- CPR, 8%
Certified in CPR and First Aid, Kansas Certified TLS.
- Mental Health, 7%
Coordinated referrals to appropriate physical wellness, mental health, substance abuse and vocational programs while monitoring level of client participation.
- Foster Care, 7%
Facilitated CFTM's for DCS case managers for youth transitioning into the Transitional Living Program/ Foster Care.
Most living specialists use their skills in "independent living," "community resources," and "autism" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential living specialist responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. The most essential soft skill for a living specialist to carry out their responsibilities is organizational skills. This skill is important for the role because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." Additionally, a living specialist resume shows how their duties depend on organizational skills: "required customer service skills, computer literacy, organizational and analytical skills. "
Time-management skills. Many living specialist duties rely on time-management skills. "social and human service assistants often work with many clients," so a living specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways living specialist responsibilities rely on time-management skills: "obtained high achievement levels regarding production time and accuracy in the preparation of forms, documents and recording data entry. "
Communication skills. living specialists are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to living specialist responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." A living specialist resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "assist individuals with disabilities in reaching their highest level of independence by teaching independent living skills and self-advocacy through communication skills. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what living specialists do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to living specialist responsibilities because "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical living specialist tasks: "provide peer support counseling and teach conflict resolution through anger management and communication skills. "
Compassion. A commonly-found skill in living specialist job descriptions, "compassion" is essential to what living specialists do. Living specialist responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." You can also see how living specialist duties rely on compassion in this resume example: "provide crisis intervention support and counseling in a friendly and compassionate manner. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill commonly found on living specialist job descriptions is "interpersonal skills." It can come up quite often in living specialist duties, since "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day living specialist responsibilities: "provide interpersonal support and guidance to assist clients in the development and maintenance of independent living skills. "
The three companies that hire the most living specialists are:
- BRC7 living specialists jobs
- Youth Villages4 living specialists jobs
- CARE3 living specialists jobs
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Compare different living specialists
Living specialist vs. Community support specialist
A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a living specialist are more likely to require skills like "autism," "foster care," "emergency situations," and "emergency first aid." On the other hand, a job as a community support specialist requires skills like "social work," "rehabilitation," "direct services," and "severe mental illness." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Community support specialists really shine in the non profits industry with an average salary of $37,451. Comparatively, living specialists tend to make the most money in the non profits industry with an average salary of $37,646.The education levels that community support specialists earn slightly differ from living specialists. In particular, community support specialists are 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a living specialist. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Living specialist vs. Family support specialist
A family support specialist is an individual who provides counseling and rehabilitation services to families who are facing crises so that their lives can be improved. Family support specialists conduct interviews with members of a family to determine areas that need support such as anti-social behavior, bullying, or domestic violence. They collaborate with healthcare and social professionals to evaluate caseload needs. In cases of relevant child protection, family support specialists are also required to attend court sessions.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real living specialist resumes. While living specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "independent living," "autism," "developmental disabilities," and "mental illness," family support specialists use skills like "social work," "child abuse," "patients," and "child development."
Family support specialists earn a higher average salary than living specialists. But family support specialists earn the highest pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $38,192. Additionally, living specialists earn the highest salaries in the non profits with average pay of $37,646 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Family support specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than living specialists. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for living 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
Living specialist vs. Behavioral health specialist
Typically working for clinics and learning institutions, a behavioral health specialist is in charge of counseling and treating patients with behavioral issues. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment through interview and observation, maintaining records and data, developing treatment plans, and referring patients to other support services when necessary. Moreover, a behavioral health specialist must communicate with the patient's families or guardians, discuss conditions, and provide advice on taking care of them. Aside from treating patients, it is also essential to continuously monitor their behavior while building positive relationships with them.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a living specialist is likely to be skilled in "emergency situations," "emergency first aid," "meal preparation," and "medication administration," while a typical behavioral health specialist is skilled in "patients," "social work," "rehabilitation," and "patient care."
Behavioral health specialists make a very good living in the insurance industry with an average annual salary of $53,632. On the other hand, living specialists are paid the highest salary in the non profits industry, with average annual pay of $37,646.behavioral health specialists typically earn higher educational levels compared to living specialists. Specifically, they're 11.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Living specialist vs. Youth care specialist
Youth care specialists are social experts who coordinate programs for children and young people who need care while being away from their own families for some reason. These specialists are required to maintain a safe environment in the community so that children will feel safe, cared for, and nurture. They must lead various seminars for youths about topics such as job readiness, financial literacy, and higher education. They must also communicate the concerns and other important information to a child's assigned social worker and provide back-up support to case managers if needed.
Updated January 8, 2025
