What does a pastoral counselor do?
Pastoral counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real pastoral counselor resumes:
- 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.
- Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.
Pastoral counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Pastoral Counselors are proficient in Spiritual Care, Pastoral Care, and Educational Programs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Pastoral Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Spiritual Care, 18%
Provided counseling and spiritual care for a church community of 4500.
- Pastoral Care, 17%
Delivered a person-centered ministry of pastoral care, psychotherapy consultation and sacraments for families, adolescents, and adults.
- Educational Programs, 14%
Assisted with coordination of culturally enlightening and educational programs for students, faculty, and the university community.
- Crisis Intervention, 9%
Coordinated crisis intervention with client's primary counselor and management.
- Mental Health, 5%
Assisted in anger management, stress management, along with a number of other mental health needs.
- Substance Abuse, 5%
Conduct premarital and marital counseling, or counsel individuals battling problems, such as depression or substance abuse.
Most pastoral counselors use their skills in "spiritual care," "pastoral care," and "educational programs" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential pastoral counselor responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a pastoral counselor to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Pastoral counselors often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "gathered, collected and analyzed data utilizing ohio scales, adhd assessments and bio-psychosocials. "
Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling pastoral counselor duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be able to empathize with their clients and students." According to a pastoral counselor resume, here's how pastoral counselors can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "provide at-risk youth with therapeutic and compassionate services. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of pastoral counselors is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday pastoral counselor duties, as "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided individual counseling to inmates related to addiction, relationships, anger management, interpersonal family violence. "
Listening skills. A big part of what pastoral counselors do relies on "listening skills." You can see how essential it is to pastoral counselor responsibilities because "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical pastoral counselor tasks: "conducted intake assessments, developed treatment plans, and collaborated and communicated with teachers and parents about clients' treatment. "
Speaking skills. Another crucial skill for a pastoral counselor to carry out their responsibilities is "speaking skills." A big part of what pastoral counselors relies on this skill, since "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." How this skill relates to pastoral counselor duties can be seen in an example from a pastoral counselor resume snippet: "generated client load through networking and public speaking. "
The three companies that hire the most pastoral counselors are:
- The Jordan Center
1 pastoral counselors jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable pastoral counselor resume templates
Build a professional pastoral counselor resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pastoral counselor resume.
Compare different pastoral counselors
Pastoral counselor vs. Admissions representative
As the name entails, admissions representatives assist prospective and new students attending a university. They give these students the information they need to make a well-informed decision regarding enrollment, make admissions decisions, and review documents. It is also their job to decide which students need to be followed up, ask students their choices, and hold new and prospective students to deadlines. They may be assigned to several areas depending on the department's needs, including prospect management, graduate admissions, and undergraduate admissions.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between pastoral counselors and admissions representative. For instance, pastoral counselor responsibilities require skills such as "spiritual care," "pastoral care," "crisis intervention," and "mental health." Whereas a admissions representative is skilled in "customer service," "patients," "phone calls," and "financial aid." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Admissions representatives earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $50,011. On the other hand, pastoral counselors are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $52,041.admissions representatives tend to reach lower levels of education than pastoral counselors. In fact, admissions representatives are 27.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Pastoral counselor vs. Job coach
A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth. They provide counseling, understanding the clients' strengths and weaknesses, analyzing clients' personal goals, and guiding clients through job interviews and assessments. A job coach must have excellent communication, listening, and analytical skills to handle their clients' challenges and match their interests for the best career suited for them.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real pastoral counselor resumes. While pastoral counselor responsibilities can utilize skills like "spiritual care," "pastoral care," "educational programs," and "substance abuse," job coaches use skills like "developmental disabilities," "rehabilitation," "customer service," and "direct supervision."
Job coaches may earn a lower salary than pastoral counselors, but job coaches earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $38,362. On the other hand, pastoral counselors receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,041.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Job coaches tend to reach lower levels of education than pastoral counselors. In fact, they're 28.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for pastoral counselors 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
Pastoral counselor vs. Counselor internship
When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision. It is also essential to track the information gathered and coordinate with assigned personnel to adhere to the company's regulations and policies.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a pastoral counselor is likely to be skilled in "spiritual care," "pastoral care," "educational programs," and "mental health," while a typical counselor internship is skilled in "intake assessments," "substance abuse issues," "mental health issues," and "family therapy."
Counselor interns earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $51,629. Comparatively, pastoral counselors have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $52,041.counselor interns typically earn lower educational levels compared to pastoral counselors. Specifically, they're 17.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 6.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Pastoral counselor vs. Student services counselor
Student Services is a part of the school program that focuses on helping students in their studies. A Student Services Counselor handles this task and is the contact person for all students who need help or who have problems and issues requiring solutions and answers. In a culturally diverse population in schools, it is the student service counselor's job to connect each student to relevant student service programs available in the school. Ultimately, the welfare of the students and their success in school is the goal of this position.
Types of pastoral counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
