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

What is a probation 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 probation counselor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.65 an hour? That's $49,192 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a probation 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.

ScoreProbation CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $49,192

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.90%

Asian 2.22%

Black or African American 14.09%

Hispanic or Latino 17.95%

Unknown 2.60%

White 62.24%

Gender

female 60.34%

male 39.66%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a probation counselor

Explore probation counselor education requirements

Most common probation counselor degrees

Bachelor's

72.0 %

Master's

15.4 %

Associate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific probation counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Mental Health	15.37%
Intake Interviews	7.09%
Substance Abuse Issues	6.55%
Court Orders	6.13%
Residential Facility	5.81%

Complete relevant probation counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New probation 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 probation counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real probation counselor resumes.

Research probation counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Review referral history and other JJIS data for accuracy and conduct data collection for statistical purposes within establish rules.

Prepare your probation counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your probation 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 probation 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 probation counselor resume templates

Build a professional probation 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 probation counselor resume.

Apply for probation counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a probation 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 probation counselors rate their job?

-/5

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Probation counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2022

Pros

Working alongside parole officers and LE.. Casemanager style. Pay Training .

Cons

Long hrs. Endless report writing. Local county jail refused to take in arrest offenders .

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019