Program counselor vs service counselor

The differences between program counselors and service counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a program counselor, becoming a service counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.

The top three skills for a program counselor include developmental disabilities, patients and community integration. The most important skills for a service counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.

Program counselor vs service counselor overview

	Program Counselor	Service Counselor
Yearly salary	$43,820	$35,402
Hourly rate	$21.07	$17.02
Growth rate	10%	12%
Number of jobs	133,491	44,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	41	43
Years of experience	4	12

What does a program counselor do?

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.

What does a service counselor do?

Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.

Program counselor vs service counselor salary

Program counselors and service counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Counselor	Service Counselor
Average salary	$43,820	$35,402
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $58,000	Between $24,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Russell Sage College	Google
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between program counselor and service counselor education

There are a few differences between a program counselor and a service counselor in terms of educational background:

	Program Counselor	Service Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	SUNY at Binghamton

Program counselor vs service counselor demographics

Here are the differences between program counselors' and service counselors' demographics:

	Program Counselor	Service Counselor
Average age	41	43
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	11%

Differences between program counselor and service counselor duties and responsibilities

Program counselor example responsibilities.

Lead recreational activities for adolescents with ADHD and other behavior disorders.
Provide education, within hospital setting, to adolescent psychiatric patients regarding substance abuse and dependency issues.
Receive CPR and first aid certifications.
Attend and receive CPR and basic restraint technique certifications.
Assist each client with compassion to encourage them on their journey to recovery.
Encourage and mentore residents during their recovery and rehabilitation process.

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Service counselor example responsibilities.

Develop contracting strategy to build capacity and achieve ongoing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid provider network adequacy requirements.
Implement patient financial services department to assist patients and family members to ensure successful patient representation and expeditious benefit recovery.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Program counselor vs service counselor skills

Common program counselor skills

Developmental Disabilities, 11%
Patients, 11%
Community Integration, 9%
CPR, 8%
Social Work, 8%
Medication Administration, 7%

Common service counselor skills

Social Work, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patients, 7%
Support Services, 6%
Social Services, 6%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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