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The differences between therapeutic mentors and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a therapeutic mentor, becoming a program counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, which is higher than the $41,272 average annual salary of a therapeutic mentor.
The top three skills for a therapeutic mentor include skill building, behavior management and interpersonal communication. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Therapeutic Mentor | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $41,272 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $19.84 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 66,070 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Therapeutic mentoring sessions typically take place between youths and a professional, usually a Therapeutic Mentor. He/She works with social services to provide therapeutic support services to youths that are under age 21 dealing with various issues. As a mentor, you'll be conducting one-on-one strength-based sessions with youths and, sometimes, their families. Your duties will include providing conflict resolution and crisis intervention in a family setting, developing healthy family relationships, and supervising development programs designed to help the youth succeed.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Therapeutic mentors and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Mentor | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $41,272 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $59,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic mentor and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Mentor | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between therapeutic mentors' and program counselors' demographics:
| Therapeutic Mentor | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 5.4% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |