How To Become A Pastoral Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pastoral counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pastoral counselor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.28 an hour? That's $44,254 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 32,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a pastoral counselor?

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University

Counseling Services (school counseling concentration) and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (we have a CMHC concentration and a Dance Movement Therapy concentration in this program). The general advice I would give to graduates starting positions in the counseling field would be to understand the critical importance of the work of helping professionals. Counselors optimally provide a safe space for clients to discuss their fears, worries, anxieties, joys, traumas, insecurities, accomplishments, etc. This ability to be an empathic, listening, accepting presence will be even more crucial for clients in our current situation.

ScorePastoral CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,254

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 43.46%

male 56.54%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pastoral counselor

Explore pastoral counselor education requirements

Most common pastoral counselor degrees

Bachelor's

45.2 %

Master's

36.7 %

Doctorate

7.8 %

Start to develop specific pastoral counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Spiritual Care	18.00%
Pastoral Care	16.64%
Educational Programs	14.30%
Crisis Intervention	8.69%
Mental Health	5.31%

Complete relevant pastoral counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pastoral counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pastoral counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pastoral counselor resumes.

Research pastoral counselor duties and responsibilities

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Assist members with reclaiming their lives from personal abuses.
Provide individual student planning to assist expulsion students in fulfilling their rehabilitation plan and re-entering the comprehensive school setting.
Plan activities for clients, which include motivational speakers, life-skills, budgeting, goal attainment and religious activities and etc.

Prepare your pastoral counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pastoral counselor resume.

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