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

What is a residence counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Juleen Buser Ph.D.,

Christopher Todd Belser Ph.D.

A residential counselor is an individual who works for a rehabilitation center, a group home, a residential care facility, a college, or a homeless shelter. Depending on the area, the responsibilities of a residence counselor vary, but the position generally entails supervising a group of individuals enrolled in a program within a structured environment. They also may manage counseling staff, organize group activities, and provide services such as therapy to residents of group homes or assisted-living facilities.

The majority of residence counselors work with adults who have problems with addiction or moderate intellectual disabilities and seek to help these individuals integrate into society and help them find employment. These professionals also organize and supervise the daily care of disabled adults and activities to encourage their patients to participate in community activities and develop skills so that they can live on their own. Residence counselors who live in assisting-living facilities are responsible for managing the health and well-being of the elderly, as well as organizing social events and field trips.

Most residence counselors have a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or a related field, and in some states may require licensing. They should also possess excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills. Most residence counselors make up to $33,000 per year in the US, and the career field is expected to grow 36% by 2028.

What general advice would you give to a Residence 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.

ScoreResidence CounselorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,931

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.4

Growth Rate 36%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 3.23%

Black or African American 11.28%

Hispanic or Latino 12.21%

Unknown 5.91%

White 67.00%

Gender

female 65.48%

male 34.52%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress Level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.9

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.8

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a residence counselor

Explore residence counselor education requirements

Most common residence counselor degrees

Bachelor's

57.1 %

Associate

18.2 %

Master's

10.7 %

Start to develop specific residence counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Developmental Disabilities	17.25%
CPR	12.25%
Community Resources	7.61%
Patients	6.19%
Mental Illness	5.60%

Complete relevant residence counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New residence 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 residence counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real residence counselor resumes.

Research residence counselor duties and responsibilities

Lead recreational activities for adolescents with ADHD and other behavior disorders.
Provide direct care, behavior management techniques, medication administration and CPR.
Design and supervise day to day activities for patients and construct a social program that provide opportunities for social rehabilitation.
Provide first aid and CPR, and minor medical assistance to residents.

Prepare your residence counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your residence 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 residence 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 Residence Counselor Resume templates

Build a professional Residence 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 Residence Counselor resume.

Apply for residence counselor jobs

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

3/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Residence Counselor reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

To help most people out of their respective concern.

Cons

I don't like people perishing, especially the teenagers.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019