How To Become A Senior Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

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 general advice would you give to a senior counselor?

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University

Counseling Services (school counseling concentration) and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (we have a CMHC concentration and a Dance Movement Therapy concentration in this program). The general advice I would give to graduates starting positions in the counseling field would be to understand the critical importance of the work of helping professionals. Counselors optimally provide a safe space for clients to discuss their fears, worries, anxieties, joys, traumas, insecurities, accomplishments, etc. This ability to be an empathic, listening, accepting presence will be even more crucial for clients in our current situation.

ScoreSenior CounselorUS Average

Salary

8.3

Avg. Salary $127,405

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 4.96%

Black or African American 13.52%

Hispanic or Latino 14.26%

Unknown 5.61%

White 60.99%

Gender

female 50.10%

male 49.90%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior counselor

Explore senior counselor education requirements

Most common senior counselor degrees

Bachelor's

55.6 %

Doctorate

18.0 %

Master's

12.9 %

Start to develop specific senior counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Litigation	10.20%
Legal Advice	9.99%
Legal Issues	7.47%
Patients	5.92%
Legal Support	5.27%

Complete relevant senior counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior counselor resumes.

Gain additional senior counselor certifications

Senior counselor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific senior counselor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for senior counselors include Pastoral Counseling Certification and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC).

More About Certifications

Research senior counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage team of IP professionals in patent, trademark and copyright protection matters.
Provide supervision and manage delinquent youthful offenders, in a secure residential correctional treatment facility.
Manage outside counsel in connection with merger/acquisition/business development activity, litigation matters, and the resolution of third party disputes.
Lead educational initiatives to patients such as education in safety, assertive communication, appropriate boundaries, personal hygiene and nutrition.

Get senior counselor experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior counselor. The most common roles before becoming a senior counselor include associate, counselor team lead and internship.

Prepare your senior counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior counselor resume templates

Build a professional senior counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior counselor resume.

Apply for senior counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do senior counselors rate their job?

-/5

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Senior counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Pros

Helping others to understand the Twelve Step Program and how it can turn ther lives around to a brighter future as a sober individual.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Cons

The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.