School guidance counselor vs family counselor

The differences between school guidance counselors and family counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school guidance counselor has an average salary of $49,562, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.

The top three skills for a school guidance counselor include crisis intervention, community agencies and professional development. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.

School guidance counselor vs family counselor overview

	School Guidance Counselor	Family Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,562	$41,510
Hourly rate	$23.83	$19.96
Growth rate	10%	14%
Number of jobs	82,545	93,253
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	-	4

What does a school guidance counselor do?

School Guidance Counselors assess students' ability and potential, provide private counseling, and coordinate with fellow professionals on student matters. To help students in realizing their objectives, school guidance counselors evaluate their attributes. Also, they identify behavioral problems and appropriately to remedy the situation. Part of their duties is to cooperate with parents, external partners, and academic staff. To succeed, these guidance counselors must be authentic and accessible with good communication skills and a profound interest in helping students to achieve career and academic goals.

What does a family counselor do?

A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.

School guidance counselor vs family counselor salary

School guidance counselors and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	School Guidance Counselor	Family Counselor
Average salary	$49,562	$41,510
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $67,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Tolleson Union High School District	Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between school guidance counselor and family counselor education

There are a few differences between a school guidance counselor and a family counselor in terms of educational background:

	School Guidance Counselor	Family Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	School Counseling	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

School guidance counselor vs family counselor demographics

Here are the differences between school guidance counselors' and family counselors' demographics:

	School Guidance Counselor	Family Counselor
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%	Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between school guidance counselor and family counselor duties and responsibilities

School guidance counselor example responsibilities.

Participate in IEP's staff meetings, parent meetings and individual student counseling.
Attend and participate in IEP meetings, truancy elimination meetings, children s clinic meetings, and parent meetings.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Family counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Assist the clients in completing their DCF case plan, helping to remove any hindrances they may encounter.
Counsele and test patients who requesting confidential HIV testing services
Collaborate and coordinate patient care with resident/faculty physicians to provide appropriate levels of care to patients.
Receive and process referrals from DCF and community-base case managers for individuals suspect as substance abusers.
Utilize PowerPoint presentations to facilitate ongoing new student orientation, ensuring students understand rules and regulations.

School guidance counselor vs family counselor skills

Common school guidance counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 7%
Community Agencies, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Career Planning, 4%
K-12, 4%

Common family counselor skills

Social Work, 22%
Community Resources, 13%
POC, 7%
Family Support, 5%
Family Therapy, 5%
DOD, 4%

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School Guidance Counselor
School Guidance Counselor vs Family Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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