Unit counselor vs staff counsel

The differences between unit counselors and staff counsels 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 a staff counsel. Additionally, a staff counsel has an average salary of $67,876, 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 a staff counsel are litigation, legal advice, and mental health.

Unit counselor vs staff counsel overview

	Unit Counselor	Staff Counsel
Yearly salary	$36,585	$67,876
Hourly rate	$17.59	$32.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	45,693	77,254
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	42
Years of experience	4	4

Unit counselor vs staff counsel salary

Unit counselors and staff counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Unit Counselor	Staff Counsel
Average salary	$36,585	$67,876
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $71,000	Between $41,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	-	Merced, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Encore Capital Group
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between unit counselor and staff counsel education

There are a few differences between a unit counselor and a staff counsel in terms of educational background:

	Unit Counselor	Staff Counsel
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Psychology	Law
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Unit counselor vs staff counsel demographics

Here are the differences between unit counselors' and staff counsels' demographics:

	Unit Counselor	Staff Counsel
Average age	41	42
Gender ratio	Male, 31.9% Female, 68.1%	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	15%	8%

Differences between unit counselor and staff counsel 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.

Staff counsel example responsibilities.

Lead educational initiatives to patients such as education in safety, assertive communication, appropriate boundaries, personal hygiene and nutrition.
Proofread and finalize legal documents, including answers, affirmations, discovery responses (interrogatories) and expert witness disclosures.
Maintain compliance with HIPAA, CLIA and OSHA regulations.
Draft correspondence, pleadings, subpoenas, motions, answers and agreements.
Perform and oversee daily activities for DYS youth in detention, treatment, and revocation.
Execute emergency protocol in the event of an emergency, administering first aid or CPR if necessary.

Unit counselor vs staff counsel skills

Common unit counselor skills

Incident Reports, 19%
Mental Health, 12%
Substance Abuse, 12%
Conduct Orientation, 11%
CPI, 6%
Crisis Situations, 4%

Common staff counsel skills

Litigation, 14%
Legal Advice, 11%
Mental Health, 10%
Legal Issues, 9%
Social Work, 7%
Legal Research, 7%