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The differences between program counselors and peer counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, which is higher than the $37,464 average annual salary of a peer counselor.
The top three skills for a program counselor include developmental disabilities, patients and community integration. The most important skills for a peer counselor are peer support, substance abuse, and wic program.
| Program Counselor | Peer Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $43,820 | $37,464 |
| Hourly rate | $21.07 | $18.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 133,491 | 76,608 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
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.
Program counselors and peer counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Counselor | Peer Counselor | |
| Average salary | $43,820 | $37,464 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $58,000 | Between $24,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Hayward, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Russell Sage College | The Brooklyn Hospital Center |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between a program counselor and a peer counselor in terms of educational background:
| Program Counselor | Peer Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program counselors' and peer counselors' demographics:
| Program Counselor | Peer Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 11% |