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The differences between work counselors and counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a work counselor has an average salary of $55,384, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.
The top three skills for a work counselor include social work, discharge planning and substance abuse. The most important skills for a counselor are patients, crisis intervention, and substance abuse.
| Work Counselor | Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $55,384 | $36,225 |
| Hourly rate | $26.63 | $17.42 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 77,184 | 77,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
A work counselor's responsibility is to know the employee's problems including stress, workplace depression, declining productivity, and anxiety, and help solve them by resolving negative patterns, rehabilitation, and prevention to improve quality of life. Such purpose is to reduce sickness absence and pressure. Part of their helping profession is to respect the employees' privacy by sharing information and opinions on resources that the client needs since they are not tasked to disclose information and give advice.
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
Work counselors and counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Work Counselor | Counselor | |
| Average salary | $55,384 | $36,225 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $66,000 | Between $19,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | - |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | The Travelers Companies | - |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Education |
There are a few differences between a work counselor and a counselor in terms of educational background:
| Work Counselor | Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between work counselors' and counselors' demographics:
| Work Counselor | Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 9% |