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

What is a primary counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Debra Minsky-Kelly,

Dr. Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson

The average primary counselor salary is $44,580. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an psychology major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become a primary counselor. Primary counselors with a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 64,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a primary counselor?

Debra Minsky-Kelly

Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College

I think there are two critical skills for social workers, whether they are first entering the workforce or seasoned professionals. These skills are humility and an appreciation for ambiguity in our work. A humble approach to our work empowers clients to become experts on their circumstances. Social workers are then positioned in a collaborative role to help clients use existing skills and resources to improve their situations. An appreciation for ambiguity is closely related to the idea of humility. It helps us to remember that practice situations we face in this field are often far more complicated than they appear on the surface. Thus, all social workers need to make a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing consultation with colleagues to ensure that multiple perspectives are included as we work to solve complex problems.

ScorePrimary CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,580

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.9

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 4.56%

Black or African American 11.43%

Hispanic or Latino 15.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 63.21%

Gender

female 65.50%

male 34.50%

Age - 37

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 - 37

Stress level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a primary counselor

Explore primary counselor education requirements

Most common primary counselor degrees

Bachelor's

57.6 %

Master's

24.3 %

Associate

11.7 %

Start to develop specific primary counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Group Therapy Sessions	10.35%
Mental Health	10.13%
Crisis Intervention	9.63%
Patients	7.69%
Intake Assessments	7.67%

Complete relevant primary counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New primary 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 primary counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real primary counselor resumes.

Research primary counselor duties and responsibilities

Coordinate individual client treatment plans to achieve individual and department rehabilitation goals.
Conduct intake screenings and assessment for treatment entry and appropriateness per ASAM criteria.
Develop and implement individualized treatment plans base on patient needs and ASAM criteria.
Maintain accurate and complete chart documentation regarding patient attitude and progress in the rehabilitation process following program protocols.

Prepare your primary counselor resume

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

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a primary counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable primary counselor resume templates

Build a professional primary counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your primary counselor resume.

Apply for primary counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a primary counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do primary counselors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Primary counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

The (working) clients will always be the best part of this job. There are certain individuals who you can feel want to learn more about their conditions and to adopt healthier thinking patterns or lifestyles.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Cons

The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.