Mental health counselor vs service counselor

The differences between mental health counselors and service counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mental health counselor, becoming a service counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.

The top three skills for a mental health counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a service counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.

Mental health counselor vs service counselor overview

	Mental Health Counselor	Service Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,471	$35,402
Hourly rate	$23.78	$17.02
Growth rate	9%	12%
Number of jobs	110,752	44,284
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	41	43
Years of experience	4	12

What does a mental health counselor do?

A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.

What does a service counselor do?

Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.

Mental health counselor vs service counselor salary

Mental health counselors and service counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Counselor	Service Counselor
Average salary	$49,471	$35,402
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $70,000	Between $24,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Longview, WA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services	Google
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between mental health counselor and service counselor education

There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a service counselor in terms of educational background:

	Mental Health Counselor	Service Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	SUNY at Binghamton

Mental health counselor vs service counselor demographics

Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and service counselors' demographics:

	Mental Health Counselor	Service Counselor
Average age	41	43
Gender ratio	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	11%

Differences between mental health counselor and service counselor duties and responsibilities

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Service counselor example responsibilities.

Develop contracting strategy to build capacity and achieve ongoing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid provider network adequacy requirements.
Implement patient financial services department to assist patients and family members to ensure successful patient representation and expeditious benefit recovery.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Mental health counselor vs service counselor skills

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

Common service counselor skills

Social Work, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patients, 7%
Support Services, 6%
Social Services, 6%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Mental Health Counselor
Mental Health Counselor vs Service Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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