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Unit counselor vs activities director

The differences between unit counselors and activities directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a unit counselor and an activities director. Additionally, an activities director has an average salary of $44,982, which is higher than the $36,585 average annual salary of a unit counselor.

The top three skills for a unit counselor include incident reports, mental health and substance abuse. The most important skills for an activities director are patients, rehabilitation, and resident care.

Unit counselor vs activities director overview

Unit CounselorActivities Director
Yearly salary$36,585$44,982
Hourly rate$17.59$21.63
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs45,6936,845
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4142
Years of experience44

Unit counselor vs activities director salary

Unit counselors and activities directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Unit CounselorActivities Director
Average salary$36,585$44,982
Salary rangeBetween $18,000 And $71,000Between $27,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City-Huntington, NY
Highest paying state-Mississippi
Best paying company-Microsoft
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between unit counselor and activities director education

There are a few differences between a unit counselor and an activities director in terms of educational background:

Unit CounselorActivities Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorPsychologyBusiness
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Unit counselor vs activities director demographics

Here are the differences between unit counselors' and activities directors' demographics:

Unit CounselorActivities Director
Average age4142
Gender ratioMale, 31.9% Female, 68.1%Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage15%8%

Differences between unit counselor and activities director duties and responsibilities

Unit counselor example responsibilities.

  • Lead a successful group of kids by ensuring safety and behavioral expectations are met and providing structure and organize educational activities.
  • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
  • Maintain therapeutic relationships with youth through effective teaching and coaching techniques to provide leadership and foster relationship building skills.

Activities director example responsibilities.

  • Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
  • Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
  • Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
  • Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
  • Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.
  • Show more

Unit counselor vs activities director skills

Common unit counselor skills
  • Incident Reports, 19%
  • Mental Health, 12%
  • Substance Abuse, 12%
  • Conduct Orientation, 11%
  • CPI, 6%
  • Crisis Situations, 4%
Common activities director skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Rehabilitation, 10%
  • Resident Care, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Home Health, 7%
  • MDS, 6%

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