Volunteer counselor vs children's counselor

The differences between volunteer counselors and children's counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a children's counselor has an average salary of $38,024, which is higher than the $32,156 average annual salary of a volunteer counselor.

The top three skills for a volunteer counselor include crisis intervention, mental health and substance abuse. The most important skills for a children's counselor are child care, social work, and mental health.

Volunteer counselor vs children's counselor overview

	Volunteer Counselor	Children's Counselor
Yearly salary	$32,156	$38,024
Hourly rate	$15.46	$18.28
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	76,594	39,726
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	4

Volunteer counselor vs children's counselor salary

Volunteer counselors and children's counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Volunteer Counselor	Children's Counselor
Average salary	$32,156	$38,024
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $21,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	Torrance, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Lake County
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between volunteer counselor and children's counselor education

There are a few differences between a volunteer counselor and a children's counselor in terms of educational background:

	Volunteer Counselor	Children's Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	University of Pennsylvania

Volunteer counselor vs children's counselor demographics

Here are the differences between volunteer counselors' and children's counselors' demographics:

	Volunteer Counselor	Children's Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between volunteer counselor and children's counselor duties and responsibilities

Volunteer counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Counsele inmates and teach bible principles.
Inform the client about the parenting, bible study, and relationship classes.
Help to develop handouts, job lists and PowerPoint presentations on specific jobs and general job-seeking topics.
Help develop leadership skills while monitoring, encouraging and rewarding outstanding academic performance.
Practice leadership skills in a consensus-base, staff-run agency including but not limit to facilitating group discussions and writing agency policies.

Children's counselor example responsibilities.

Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
Develop and attend treatment plan and IEP meetings for adolescents with mental diagnosis.
Maintain IEP goals and classroom management.
Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

Volunteer counselor vs children's counselor skills

Common volunteer counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 23%
Mental Health, 9%
Substance Abuse, 7%
Provide Emotional Support, 6%
Suicide Prevention, 6%
Emotional Support, 6%

Common children's counselor skills

Child Care, 22%
Social Work, 12%
Mental Health, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Group Therapy, 7%
Family Therapy, 4%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Volunteer Counselor
Volunteer Counselor vs Children's Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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