School guidance counselor vs lead counselor

The differences between school guidance counselors and lead counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead counselor has an average salary of $178,478, which is higher than the $49,562 average annual salary of a school guidance counselor.

The top three skills for a school guidance counselor include crisis intervention, community agencies and professional development. The most important skills for a lead counselor are legal advice, litigation, and work ethic.

School guidance counselor vs lead counselor overview

	School Guidance Counselor	Lead Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,562	$178,478
Hourly rate	$23.83	$85.81
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	82,545	74,247
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

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 lead counselor do?

A Lead Counselor is responsible for the management of patients' mental health and rehabilitation services. Often, they help them to recover from a tragic or traumatic kind of situation. They also help the patient cope with family and job-related stress and other personal issues. They teach other staff and especially clients to educate them in dealing with stress management and eventually monitor their progress. This person should also have strong written and verbal communication skills.

School guidance counselor vs lead counselor salary

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

	School Guidance Counselor	Lead Counselor
Average salary	$49,562	$178,478
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $67,000	Between $100,000 And $315,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Tolleson Union High School District	MDI
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between school guidance counselor and lead counselor education

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

	School Guidance Counselor	Lead Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	School Counseling	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

School guidance counselor vs lead counselor demographics

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

	School Guidance Counselor	Lead Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between school guidance counselor and lead 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.

Lead counselor example responsibilities.

Monitor children at the pool, CPR certify.
assist with reading writing mathematics social skills and everyday living skills.
Maintain safety and ensure well being of children daily by implementing discipline procedures and using CPR training when necessary.
Dispense medication and coordinate supervision of patients abusing behavior altering drugs.
Implement a research-base treatment program for children with ADHD and other behavioraldeficiencies.
Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.

School guidance counselor vs lead 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 lead counselor skills

Legal Advice, 16%
Litigation, 14%
Work Ethic, 8%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Group Therapy, 6%

School Guidance Counselor vs. similar jobs

School Guidance Counselor related careers

School Guidance Counselor related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
School Guidance Counselor
School Guidance Counselor vs Lead Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs