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The differences between residential counselors and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a residential counselor and a mental health counselor. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.
The top three skills for a residential counselor include direct care, medication administration and mental health. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Residential Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,117 | $49,471 |
| Hourly rate | $16.40 | $23.78 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 81,287 | 110,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.
Residential counselors and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $34,117 | $49,471 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $34,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Longview, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Evergreens | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a residential counselor and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Residential Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between residential counselors' and mental health counselors' demographics:
| Residential Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |