How long does it take to become a Residential Counselor?

It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a residential counselor. That is the time it takes to learn specific residential counselor skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 6 to 8 years years to become a residential counselor.

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

What is a residential counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Juleen Buser Ph.D.,

Christopher Todd Belser Ph.D.

Residential counselors work in social care facilities such as homeless shelters, rehabilitation centers, retirement homes, and the like. Their main responsibility is to maintain the structure of the environment or program and oversee the residents' daily activities.

Residential counselors are typically expected to have a degree in psychology, social work, or a related field. They keep an eye on the mental and emotional state of the people under their care and make sure everyone lives by the rules of the facility. They give a hand with transportation and come up with fun and engaging activities for the residents to do while spending quality time together.

As a residential counselor, your responsibilities do not revolve around generating profit, and this is reflected in the median annual salary of the position, which is $29,592. This is a bit less than half of what the average yearly living expenses amount to across the U.S. Caring for each other apparently is not the most lucrative business. It is, however, very rewarding on a personal level.

What general advice would you give to a Residential 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.

ScoreResidential CounselorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,117

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.4

Growth Rate 12%

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 67.01%

male 32.99%

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 residential counselor

Explore residential counselor education requirements

Most common residential counselor degrees

Bachelor's

59.0 %

Associate

15.2 %

High School Diploma

10.2 %

Start to develop specific residential counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Direct Care	8.83%
Medication Administration	8.75%
Mental Health	7.53%
Social Work	7.38%
Developmental Disabilities	5.89%

Complete relevant residential counselor training and internships

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

Research residential counselor duties and responsibilities

Lead recreational activities for adolescents with ADHD and other behavior disorders.
Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Train in AMAP, SCIP, and first aid procedures.
Assist residents with ADL, occasionally accompany to medical appointments, administer medications.

Prepare your residential counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your residential 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 residential 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 Residential Counselor Resume templates

Build a professional Residential 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 Residential Counselor resume.

Apply for residential counselor jobs

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

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Residential Counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

Being able to help each client to become as independent as possible

Cons

I do not like the schedule .

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

Cons

The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.

Pros

Change agent when people are stuck and need support in the process of restoration. One on one and group processing is powerful.

What is a residential counselor and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Residential Counselor?

Residential Counselor career paths

Key steps to become a residential counselor

Explore residential counselor education requirements

Most common residential counselor degrees

Start to develop specific residential counselor skills

Complete relevant residential counselor training and internships

Research residential counselor duties and responsibilities

Prepare your residential counselor resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Residential Counselor Resume templates

Apply for residential counselor jobs

How Did You Land Your First Residential Counselor Job

Average residential counselor salary

How do residential counselors rate their job?

Residential Counselor reviews

Residential Counselor FAQs

How long does it take to become a Residential Counselor?

Search for residential counselor jobs

Residential Counselor jobs by state