Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between youth counselors and rehabilitation counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a youth counselor, becoming a rehabilitation counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a rehabilitation counselor has an average salary of $43,111, which is higher than the $36,754 average annual salary of a youth counselor.
The top three skills for a youth counselor include direct care, mental health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a rehabilitation counselor are rehabilitation, social work, and mental health.
| Youth Counselor | Rehabilitation Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,754 | $43,111 |
| Hourly rate | $17.67 | $20.73 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 78,461 | 77,220 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A Youth Counselor's role is to provide guidance and interact with children or teenagers in need of care and counseling. The duty of a Youth Counselor is diverse, and it highly depends on the organization or employer. However, the responsibilities mostly revolve around establishing rapport with the youngster while trying to work on their issues, ensuring their welfare by monitoring their emotional and physical state, coordinating with families or other facilities, suggesting treatments, and performing crisis intervention if necessary.
Rehabilitation counselors are professional counselors who are responsible for helping individuals cope with their disabilities to live independently. These counselors are required to consult other professionals, family members, and individuals when developing a treatment plan based on the goals, strengths, limitations, and personal values of their clients. They must make connections with community support so that individuals with disabilities can avail of the types of services that are available. Rehabilitation counselors must also find employers and educate them in understanding the needs and abilities of disabled people.
Youth counselors and rehabilitation counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Counselor | Rehabilitation Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,754 | $43,111 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $31,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Cleveland, OH |
| Highest paying state | California | Ohio |
| Best paying company | New York State Restaurant Association | North Shore Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a youth counselor and a rehabilitation counselor in terms of educational background:
| Youth Counselor | Rehabilitation Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Washington |
Here are the differences between youth counselors' and rehabilitation counselors' demographics:
| Youth Counselor | Rehabilitation Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| 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, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 21% |