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The differences between therapeutic support staff and family 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 support staff, becoming a family counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a family counselor has an average salary of $41,510, which is higher than the $34,086 average annual salary of a therapeutic support staff.
The top three skills for a therapeutic support staff include autism, social work and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Family Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,086 | $41,510 |
| Hourly rate | $16.39 | $19.96 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 192,172 | 93,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.
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.
Therapeutic support staff and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Family Counselor | |
| Average salary | $34,086 | $41,510 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $27,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic support staff and a family counselor in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Family Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between therapeutic support staff' and family counselors' demographics:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Family Counselor | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | 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 Percentage | 11% | 6% |