What does a peer counselor do?
Typically working at schools, communities, or medical facilities, a peer counselor specializes in providing counseling to an individual or group of people, aiming to help them deal with and overcome crises. Their duties often include conducting initial assessments through interviews and appointments, listening to clients and offering advice, recommending opportunities, referring them to other support agencies, and coordinating treatment services as needed. Above all, a peer counselor must provide emotional support and guidance to clients, giving them comfort and a shoulder to lean on.
Peer counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real peer counselor resumes:
- Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
- Refer clients (as needed) to inpatient or outpatient substance abuse rehabilitation programs and assist them in qualifying for services.
- Formulate and edit nutrition education materials and monthly newsletters for WIC participants.
- Counsele and enroll people in ACA and ABE.
- Work with multiple groups of undergraduate students to improve GPA's.
- Present information via PowerPoint and hand-outs to students on the dangers of poor credit decisions.
- Perform a variety of ministry opportunities with focus on Christian education for ages birth-6th grade ,
- Oversee, support, provide sound spiritual counsel to, and shepherd the ministry staff.
- Mentore HEOP underclassmen, provide academic and personal guidance to help increase GPA, retention and graduation rates.
- Assist chemistry students in understanding concepts and administer grades
- Create and conduct presentations for breastfeeding awareness for WIC participants.
- Assist general chemistry students in carrying out their independent research during laboratories.
- Host weekly study/tutoring sessions for lower level mathematics and statistics courses inside living center.
- Develop regulations and policy manual for the transitional housing training and seminar for counselors.
- Deliver extraordinary customer service to AAA members by accurately answering questions and interpreting club policy.
Peer counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Peer Counselors are proficient in Peer Support, Substance Abuse, and WIC Program. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Listening skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Peer Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Peer Support, 14%
Provided crisis intervention services, short-term peer support, information, and referrals to campus and community resources/organizations.
- Substance Abuse, 9%
Provide community based substance abuse prevention counseling to culturally diverse population giving referrals and advocating for senior citizens.
- WIC Program, 9%
Provided breastfeeding education and hands on practices and services to a diverse population who participated in the WIC program.
- Crisis Intervention, 7%
Skilled in effective communication and assessing crisis interventions including: minor-age, manipulative, abusive, and mental health emergencies.
- Community Resources, 6%
Maintained knowledge of and communicating with available community resources and providing referrals for clients as appropriate.
- Mental Illness, 6%
Developed community and center volunteer activities for individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses.
"peer support," "substance abuse," and "wic program" are among the most common skills that peer counselors use at work. You can find even more peer counselor responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a peer counselor to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what peer counselors do because "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Additionally, a peer counselor resume shows how peer counselors use analytical skills: "enter information into the database and provide peer counseling to pregnant women and mothers. "
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling peer counselor duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." According to a peer counselor resume, here's how peer counselors can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "listened and provided information on available community services. "
Speaking skills. This is an important skill for peer counselors to perform their duties. For an example of how peer counselor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a peer counselor: "developed and provided information packets for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers; presented at community health fairs. ".
Compassion. A big part of what peer counselors do relies on "compassion." You can see how essential it is to peer counselor responsibilities 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." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical peer counselor tasks: "provide guidance to freshmen and nontraditional students; engage with co-workers, bosses, and students; show leadership and compassion"
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in peer counselor job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what peer counselors do. Peer counselor responsibilities rely on this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." You can also see how peer counselor duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "use excellent interpersonal skills to counsel and accompany sexual assault survivors. "
The three companies that hire the most peer counselors are:
- Sea Mar Community Health Centers15 peer counselors jobs
- Open Sky Community Services10 peer counselors jobs
- Catholic Community Services of Utah
8 peer counselors jobs
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Compare different peer counselors
Peer 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a peer counselor are more likely to require skills like "peer support," "substance abuse," "wic program," and "support services." On the other hand, a job as a counselor internship requires skills like "intake assessments," "substance abuse issues," "group therapy sessions," and "family therapy." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Counselor interns tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $51,629. In contrast, peer counselors make the biggest average salary, $47,483, in the education industry.On average, counselor interns reach higher levels of education than peer counselors. Counselor interns are 11.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Peer counselor vs. Admissions counselor
An admissions counselor is the primary point of contact between a university or college and their potential students. One of their primary responsibilities is to represent the school during various events for recruitment purposes, discuss the admission procedures to the students and their families through calls or appointments, and facilitate university tours and orientation among prospective students. Furthermore, they must gather applicants' requirements, verify their authenticity, and determine if they are qualified for the institution. They may also decide student admissions, all while adhering to the college's policies and guidelines.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real peer counselor resumes. While peer counselor responsibilities can utilize skills like "peer support," "substance abuse," "wic program," and "crisis intervention," admissions counselors use skills like "customer service," "patients," "social work," and "admissions process."
On average, admissions counselors earn a higher salary than peer counselors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, admissions counselors earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $41,517. Whereas peer counselors have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $47,483.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Admissions counselors tend to reach higher levels of education than peer counselors. In fact, they're 6.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for peer counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Juleen Buser Ph.D.
Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University
Peer counselor vs. Education counselor
The work of education counselors revolves around giving students advice about their course choice, career structuring, and supporting them in their school endeavors. They must have the empathy to help students adjust to their everyday struggles and personal conflicts. They often give students information about scholarship grants and help them apply. They organize seminars talking about alcohol consumption and smoking. Counselors also discuss strategies to improve school performance regarding overall counseling services.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, peer counselors are more likely to have skills like "peer support," "wic program," "mental illness," and "role model." But a education counselor is more likely to have skills like "mental health," "behavioral problems," "applied behavior analysis," and "tuition assistance."
Education counselors make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $45,415. On the other hand, peer counselors are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $47,483.Most education counselors achieve a higher degree level compared to peer counselors. For example, they're 12.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Peer counselor vs. Student support counselor
A student support counselor is responsible for identifying the students' strengths and challenges through one-on-one counseling and establishing solutions to help them overcome difficulties and achieve their educational goals and aspirations. Student support counselors assist the faculty in determining appropriate programs and activities to develop the students' capabilities, especially as a way of preparing them with their career objectives. They also coordinate with the students' families for extended guidance and support for their growth and development.
Types of peer counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
