Post job

Senior therapist vs family counselor

The differences between senior therapists and family counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior therapist and a family counselor. Additionally, a senior therapist has an average salary of $63,963, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.

The top three skills for a senior therapist include social work, autism and mental health. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.

Senior therapist vs family counselor overview

Senior TherapistFamily Counselor
Yearly salary$63,963$41,510
Hourly rate$30.75$19.96
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs68,06493,253
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a senior therapist do?

Senior therapists lead and manage a facility's therapeutic program and work hand-in-hand with other facility team members to deliver, oversee, plan, and coordinate the therapeutic program. These professionals promote professional accountability, quality development, evaluation, clinical governance, and monitoring. Besides supervising community forums and similar activities, senior therapists also attend appropriate staff and clinical supervision meetings. They document and share with the clinical team the right therapeutic guidelines and processes to follow.

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.

Senior therapist vs family counselor salary

Senior therapists and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior TherapistFamily Counselor
Average salary$63,963$41,510
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $91,000Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYNew York, NY
Highest paying statePennsylvaniaNew York
Best paying companyMontage HealthShirley Ryan AbilityLab
Best paying industryEnergyProfessional

Differences between senior therapist and family counselor education

There are a few differences between a senior therapist and a family counselor in terms of educational background:

Senior TherapistFamily Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Senior therapist vs family counselor demographics

Here are the differences between senior therapists' and family counselors' demographics:

Senior TherapistFamily Counselor
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 26.0% Female, 74.0%Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage6%6%

Differences between senior therapist and family counselor duties and responsibilities

Senior therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
  • Function as a case manager, co-le group therapy and provide psychiatrist supervise individual therapy to adolescent patients.
  • Work with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families.
  • Produce detailed quarterly reports on each student, used in IEP meetings to assess student's progress.
  • Collaborate with parents, teachers, and other professionals on the implementation of programs, and attend IEP meetings.
  • Implement one on one behavioral intervention programs in the homes of children with autism while using apply behavioral analysis therapy.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Senior therapist vs family counselor skills

Common senior therapist skills
  • Social Work, 12%
  • Autism, 9%
  • Mental Health, 8%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Behavior Analysis, 7%
  • ABA, 5%
Common family counselor skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Community Resources, 13%
  • POC, 7%
  • Family Support, 5%
  • Family Therapy, 5%
  • DOD, 4%

Browse community and social services jobs