The duties of a senior counselor vary by the line of work or industry of employment. Oftentimes, he/she works with the youth, especially children. He/She focuses on facilitating recreational programs. He/She assesses the condition and needs of the children and provides them with the necessary assistance and guidance. Moreover, he/she may contact their parents and guardians to inform them of any concerns or progress. Senior counselors also work with communities to enhance mental health. He/She encourages clients to discuss emotions. Besides that, he/she helps clients define goals and plan actions.

Applicants need a master's degree in a related field with professional certifications. You must have at least three years of relevant work experience. To succeed in this role, you need communication, computer, leadership, and adaptability skills. You must be familiar with intervention techniques. The salary of senior counselors varies from $29,000 to $74,000 with an average of $46,299 per year.

What Does a Senior Counselor Do

There are certain skills that many senior counselors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed leadership skills, physical strength and communication skills.

Learn more about what a Senior Counselor does

How To Become a Senior Counselor

If you're interested in becoming a senior counselor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 55.6% of senior counselors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 12.9% of senior counselors have master's degrees. Even though most senior counselors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Senior Counselor

Senior Counselor Career Paths

Average Salary for a Senior Counselor

Senior Counselors in America make an average salary of $127,405 per year or $61 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $200,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $81,000 per year.
Average Senior Counselor Salary
$127,405 Yearly
$61.25 hourly

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Roles and Types of Senior Counselor

The role of a senior counselor includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general senior counselor responsibilities:

  • Structuring, drafting and negotiating sponsor and production agreements (e.g., joint promotion agreements, producer, writer, production services,
  • You'll personally handle complex, business-critical patent litigation cases in a variety of markets around the globe. Keeping abreast of emerging trends in litigation, you'll advise
  • The senior counsel is responsible for providing legal

There are several types of senior counselor, including:

Group Leader

Role:

As they sang in "Peter Pan," we're following the leader. But this time, it's the group leader that we're following. Whether you're managing or training, the group you're leading is going to follow.

Group leaders make sure no group member is left behind. So you need to have great communication skills in order to relay clear instructions to the group. Those skills will also come in handy when you're training new employees.

Becoming a group leader is a great honor. That means you're in charge of a whole team. And honestly, there's nothing more honorable than being put in charge. Sure, it's a lot of responsibility, but we think you can handle it.
  • Average Salary: $100,480
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Program Lead

Role:

A program lead is an individual who is in charge of a team that performs a certain purpose in an organization. Most program leads find their jobs in the technology and healthcare industries. Their role is to guide a group or team with the project's completion in mind. They help start a program and supervise it.

They oversee projects or tasks until their completion. They also help retain engagement throughout the entire process and give feedback to management. An example of a project that requires a project lead in healthcare is a drug trial focus group. They must have excellent communication skills, leadership skills, and program management skills.

According to the bureau of statistics, between 2018-2028, the job will grow by 80% producing 33,800 new jobs. The average salary is $36.1 per hour, translating to $75,081 a year. They need a bachelor's degree or a master's degree, although it is possible to become one with a high school diploma or GED with experience in the industry.
  • Average Salary: $100,727
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Recreation Leader

Role:

A recreation leader develops sports and recreational programs that are well suited for a company's client base. They schedule the use of facilities so that activities do not conflict with one another. They ensure the right equipment is ready for all activities and also ensures they are functioning properly.

Further duties include ordering supplies needed for certain activities and advertises the availability of certain activities in order to draw others in, overseeing other recreational staff members and volunteers, securing funding for special projects and events, evaluating the effectiveness of certain programs, and makes modifications to them as needed, adhering to safety protocols and ensuring that other participants do likewise.

Skills required for this position include teamwork, among others. They should also be familiar with a variety of different sports and activities and have a wide range of likes and interests. They should enjoy helping others develop physically, mentally, and socially and be able to foster a sense of pride and teamwork in others. Good supervisory skills and the ability to lead others easily are also essential. A high school diploma is sufficient to qualify for this role. They earn between $16,470 and $38,460 per year, which amounts to between $7.91 and $18.49 per hour.
  • Average Salary: $30,040
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Senior Counselor Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active senior counselor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where senior counselors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Senior Counselor Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,163$153,360
2New York792$153,047
3Florida743$116,506
4Pennsylvania662$129,511
5Texas581$88,632
6Illinois470$121,075
7Georgia382$116,061
8New Jersey362$143,655
9Washington338$161,785
10Arizona306$121,565
11Virginia296$129,614
12Massachusetts289$138,577
13Maryland266$135,075
14North Carolina245$132,321
15Ohio235$112,477
16Colorado234$118,157
17Michigan232$126,442
18Minnesota226$128,061
19Connecticut222$132,465
20Tennessee191$119,739
21Indiana176$114,940
22South Carolina172$124,816
23Oregon153$154,528
24Wisconsin146$139,497
25Louisiana139$83,459
26Missouri127$119,500
27Iowa125$102,355
28Alabama102$106,548
29Kentucky93$109,179
30Nevada78$103,218
31Montana72$114,456
32Oklahoma72$102,599
33Arkansas69$94,552
34New Mexico68$99,944
35Kansas67$97,843
36Utah60$103,079
37Idaho59$133,891
38Delaware58$143,076
39New Hampshire57$147,237
40Nebraska50$125,560
41Maine47$144,036
42Mississippi40$158,028
43North Dakota37$125,400
44Alaska36$174,260
45West Virginia35$166,227
46Hawaii35$60,838
47Wyoming32$132,498
48Rhode Island31$148,913
49Vermont27$156,288
50South Dakota27$117,920

Senior Counselor Education

Senior Counselor Majors

23.6 %

Senior Counselor Degrees

Bachelors

55.6 %

Doctorate

18.0 %

Masters

12.9 %

Top Colleges for Senior Counselors

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Law
Psychology
Political Science
Legal Research And Advanced Professional Studies

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Social Work
Law
Political Science
Communication

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Law
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Social Work
Law
Political Science
History

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Law
Social Work
Political Science
History

6. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Communication
Sociology
Political Science
English

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Communication
Political Science
Social Work

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Social Work
Law
Psychology

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Law
Political Science
Psychology
Social Work
Business

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Law
Legal Research And Advanced Professional Studies
Political Science

Top Skills For a Senior Counselor

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.2% of senior counselors listed litigation on their resume, but soft skills such as leadership skills and physical strength are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Counselor Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Senior Counselor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Senior Counselor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Senior Counselor Demographics

Senior Counselor Gender Distribution

Female
Female
50%
Male
Male
50%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among senior counselors, 50.1% of them are women, while 49.9% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among senior counselors is White, which makes up 61.0% of all senior counselors.

  • The most common foreign language among senior counselors is Spanish at 55.2%.

Online Courses For Senior Counselor That You May Like

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In today’s world, mental illness and distress are common and these account for a significant burden of disability within our community. At the same time, there is a growing interest in understanding and enhancing positive mental health and wellbeing; particularly from developments in the fields of positive psychology and mental health promotion. Positive Psychiatry is a new term (Jeste et al 2016) that describes a dual approach to mental health, where we build strengths, supports and healthy...

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3. Crisis Intervention Seminar

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The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

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Best States For a Senior Counselor

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a senior counselor. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, West Virginia, Washington, and Mississippi. Senior counselors make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $174,260. Whereas in West Virginia and Washington, they would average $166,227 and $161,785, respectively. While senior counselors would only make an average of $158,028 in Mississippi, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Alaska

Total Senior Counselor Jobs: 36
Highest 10% Earn:
$247,000
Location Quotient:
1.16

2. Washington

Total Senior Counselor Jobs: 338
Highest 10% Earn:
$248,000
Location Quotient:
1.25

3. New York

Total Senior Counselor Jobs: 792
Highest 10% Earn:
$218,000
Location Quotient:
1.66
Full List Of Best States For Senior Counselors

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Top Senior Counselor Employers

Most Common Employers For Senior Counselor

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Holland & Knight$171,035$82.2319
2U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission$170,200$81.8336
3Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani$167,635$80.5919
4Community Education Centers$130,566$62.7757
5Bosley$129,896$62.4523
6Wells Fargo$120,659$58.0124
7AmerisourceBergen$119,486$57.4553
8LEAP Legal Software$110,144$52.9575
9Hewlett Packard Enterprise$109,529$52.6618
10Medifast California$107,379$51.6238

Senior Counselor Videos