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The differences between work counselors and lead counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead counselor has an average salary of $178,478, which is higher than the $55,384 average annual salary of a work counselor.
The top three skills for a work counselor include social work, discharge planning and substance abuse. The most important skills for a lead counselor are legal advice, litigation, and work ethic.
| Work Counselor | Lead Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $55,384 | $178,478 |
| Hourly rate | $26.63 | $85.81 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 77,184 | 74,247 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| 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.
A Lead Counselor is responsible for the management of patients' mental health and rehabilitation services. Often, they help them to recover from a tragic or traumatic kind of situation. They also help the patient cope with family and job-related stress and other personal issues. They teach other staff and especially clients to educate them in dealing with stress management and eventually monitor their progress. This person should also have strong written and verbal communication skills.
Work counselors and lead counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Work Counselor | Lead Counselor | |
| Average salary | $55,384 | $178,478 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $66,000 | Between $100,000 And $315,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Travelers Companies | MDI |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a work counselor and a lead counselor in terms of educational background:
| Work Counselor | Lead 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 lead counselors' demographics:
| Work Counselor | Lead Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 11% |