What does a Residence Counselor do?
Residence counselors are professionals who are responsible for providing services such as one-to-one therapy and crisis support to clients who are living in group homes or assisted-living facilities. These counselors must assist adults with moderate intellectual disabilities to find employment while monitoring their work performance. They must facilitate and supervise daily personal care and activities for developmentally disabled adults. Residence counselors must also encourage clients to participate in community activities that can contribute to the development of skills necessary for independent living.
Residence counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real residence counselor resumes:
- 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.
- Ensure medication compliance, maintain accurate medication logs, and assist in the development of ADL skills.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs and patients' progress in resolving identify problems and moving towards define objectives.
- Develop weekly group programs and maintain accurate data collection and program implementation to fulfill community inclusion and ADL goals.
- Provide leadership and direction to new and existing staff members; identify training development assuring that training/certification are obtained and maintain.
Residence counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Residence Counselors are proficient in Developmental Disabilities, CPR, and Community Resources. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Integrity, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Residence Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Developmental Disabilities, 17%
Developed teaching, training and supportive situations to assist adult women with developmental disabilities to achieve outcomes leading toward independent living.
- CPR, 12%
Completed Direct Service Provider (DSP) training - Completed CPR & First Aid, Medical Certification, and SCIP-R training
- Community Resources, 8%
Provided one-on-one support to individuals with a metal health diagnosis resulting in better utilization of community resources & community integration.
- Patients, 6%
Designed and supervised day to day activities for patients and constructed a social program that provided opportunities for social rehabilitation.
- Mental Illness, 6%
Delivered quality residential and support services to senior clients with a significant history of mental illness and physical disabilities.
- Medication Administration, 5%
Supervised medication administration and maintain appropriate documentation.
Common skills that a residence counselor uses to do their job include "developmental disabilities," "cpr," and "community resources." You can find details on the most important residence counselor responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a residence counselor to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "home health aides and personal care aides must adhere to specific rules and protocols and carefully follow instructions to help take care of clients." Additionally, a residence counselor resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "create goal oriented service plans to aid in the transition of residents to independent living. "
Integrity. Another essential skill to perform residence counselor duties is integrity. Residence counselors responsibilities require that "home health aides and personal care aides should make clients feel comfortable when they tend to personal activities, such as helping a client bathe." Residence counselors also use integrity in their role according to a real resume snippet: "coach individuals to reach goals through skill building organize & facilitate group therapy promote & build trust to strengthen relationships"
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for residence counselors to perform their duties. For an example of how residence counselor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "home health aides and personal care aides must work closely with clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a residence counselor: "supported individuals with developmental disabilities to lead independent lives and maintaining interpersonal relationships".
Physical stamina. For certain residence counselor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a residence counselor rely on this skill, as "home health aides and personal care aides should be comfortable performing physical tasks." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what residence counselors do: "provide individualized care for adults with developmental and physical disabilities promoting independence medication administration and direct care accurate attendance and annual trainings. "
The three companies that hire the most residence counselors are:
- Prime Healthcare32 residence counselors jobs
- Mission Regional Medical Center16 residence counselors jobs
- Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc
8 residence counselors jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable residence counselor resume templates
Build a professional residence counselor resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your residence counselor resume.Compare different residence counselors
Residence counselor vs. Mental health associate
As a mental health associate, you will assist the medical team members in diagnosing and treating individuals with mental, developmental, and behavioral conditions. You may be tasked to facilitate individual and group therapy sessions, help patients with their day-to-day activities such as self-care and hygiene, and assist in administering medications prescribed by physicians. Other duties include planning and leading program activities, attending treatment rounds, and assisting with the physical care of patients. The qualifications and skills required for this role include a bachelor's degree in social science or psychology, previous work experience, and certification on basic life support.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between residence counselors and mental health associate. For instance, residence counselor responsibilities require skills such as "developmental disabilities," "english language," "medication administration," and "cerebral palsy." Whereas a mental health associate is skilled in "customer service," "safety checks," "immunization," and "cpi." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Mental health associates earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $37,746. On the other hand, residence counselors are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $35,988.On average, mental health associates reach similar levels of education than residence counselors. Mental health associates are 1.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Residence counselor vs. Treatment specialist
The duties of a treatment specialist depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In the medical industry, a treatment specialist is primarily responsible for developing treatments according to the needs and conditions of a patient. They gather and analyze a patient's medical history and records, conduct extensive tests and examinations, coordinate with other medical experts, and discuss the extent of treatments to patients. Furthermore, a treatment specialist must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that residence counselor responsibilities requires skills like "english language," "patients," "medication administration," and "direct patient care." But a treatment specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "mental health," "criminal justice," "social histories," and "drug abuse."
On average, treatment specialists earn a higher salary than residence counselors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, treatment specialists earn the most pay in the non profits industry with an average salary of $44,419. Whereas residence counselors have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $35,988.In general, treatment specialists achieve similar levels of education than residence counselors. They're 4.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Residence Counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Juleen Buser Ph.D.
Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University
Residence counselor vs. Mental health worker
A mental health worker is an individual who provides basic care and therapy to patients who are inflicted with mental disabilities or developmental disabilities. Mental health workers assist patients with their daily activities, monitor their conditions, and administer therapeutic care. They may be directly supervised by a registered nurse and can work in facilities such as psychiatric hospitals and residential mental health facilities. They may also help develop treatment plans and strategies with other staff members to best meet patient needs.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a residence counselor is likely to be skilled in "english language," "cerebral palsy," "community integration," and "direct support," while a typical mental health worker is skilled in "patient safety," "mental health," "excellent interpersonal," and "therapeutic relationships."
Mental health workers earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $39,268. Comparatively, residence counselors have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $35,988.When it comes to education, mental health workers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to residence counselors. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Residence counselor vs. Counselor internship
When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision. It is also essential to track the information gathered and coordinate with assigned personnel to adhere to the company's regulations and policies.
Types of residence counselor
Updated January 8, 2025