School guidance counselor vs school social worker

The differences between school guidance counselors and school social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school social worker has an average salary of $54,856, 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 school social worker are social work, social emotional, and IEP.

School guidance counselor vs school social worker overview

	School Guidance Counselor	School Social Worker
Yearly salary	$49,562	$54,856
Hourly rate	$23.83	$26.37
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	82,545	122,376
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	42	42
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 school social worker do?

A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.

School guidance counselor vs school social worker salary

School guidance counselors and school social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	School Guidance Counselor	School Social Worker
Average salary	$49,562	$54,856
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $67,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Tolleson Union High School District	Boston Public Schools
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between school guidance counselor and school social worker education

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

	School Guidance Counselor	School Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	School Counseling	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Boston College

School guidance counselor vs school social worker demographics

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

	School Guidance Counselor	School Social Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between school guidance counselor and school social worker 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.

School social worker example responsibilities.

Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
Provide individual, group and family therapy to patients suffering from substance abuse/dependence.
Prepare APS reports as needed and present them to the state.
Prepare IEP's, set goals, and objectives consistent with CSE standards.
Train college interns, new employees, and volunteers on APS policies and procedures.
Design school-wide and individual PBIS programs and incentives; as well as compiled data relate to PBIS.

School guidance counselor vs school social worker 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 school social worker skills

Social Work, 26%
Social Emotional, 6%
IEP, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Professional Development, 5%
Behavioral Issues, 4%

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School Guidance Counselor
School Guidance Counselor vs School Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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