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What is a family counselor and how to become one
A family counselor is a licensed therapist who helps families to solve crises within the family unit. He/she meets with the family members individually or as a group to discuss their problems to provide treatment through various approaches. A family counselor helps resolve family problems such as emotional conflicts, mental disorders, money problems, and poor communication.
A family counselor's objective is to help the family improve their attitudes, behaviors, communication, build stronger relationships, and foster a healthy environment. A family counselor can work in hospitals, clinics, social service agencies, mental health centers, or even private practice.
Family counselors typically work 40 hours a week. However, most of them have a flexible work schedule because their schedules depend on their patients' availability.
What general advice would you give to a Family Counselor?
Juleen Buser Ph.D.
Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University
Avg. Salary $41,510
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 14%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%
Asian 4.57%
Black or African American 6.97%
Hispanic or Latino 13.94%
Unknown 5.53%
White 68.51%
Genderfemale 73.67%
male 26.33%
Age - 38American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 38Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Family Counselor career paths
Key steps to become a family counselor
Explore family counselor education requirements
Start to develop specific family counselor skills
Skills 
Percentages Social Work 22.34% Community Resources 12.71% POC 7.22% Family Support 5.15% Family Therapy 4.66% Research family counselor duties and responsibilities
- Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
- Assist the clients in completing their DCF case plan, helping to remove any hindrances they may encounter.
- Counsele and test patients who requesting confidential HIV testing services
- Collaborate and coordinate patient care with resident/faculty physicians to provide appropriate levels of care to patients.
Prepare your family counselor resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your family counselor resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a family counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Family Counselor Resume templates
Build a professional Family Counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Family Counselor resume.
Apply for family counselor jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a family counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Family Counselor Job
Are you a Family Counselor?
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Average family counselor salary
The average Family Counselor salary in the United States is $41,510 per year or $20 per hour. Family counselor salaries range between $27,000 and $62,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do family counselors rate their job?
Family Counselor reviews
The children are always worth it.
Stressful, dangerous neighborhoods, sometimes parents are dangerous as well. Work life balance isn't good. Documentation is very time consuming and you will bring that home to finish. If your agency requires that you do your app recorded time sheets then that will prove ardously time consuming constaint that cuts right into your work/home life balance...it's terrible. Wear and tear on your car, no shows from parents upsetting children and paid mileage is horrible. Get ready to barely have a life.
The (working) clients will always be the best part of this job. There are certain individuals who you can feel want to learn more about their conditions and to adopt healthier thinking patterns or lifestyles.
The insane amount of paperwork, the insurance/agency politics, the high expectations, the low amount of support. Burnout is very concerning for a profession where people in the frontline are the ones trying to make a difference. Individuals who work in this field need to have an incentive to keep pushing. I’m sorry but a kind heart and good intentions are not enough to sustain this type of career.
The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.
Change agent when people are stuck and need support in the process of restoration. One on one and group processing is powerful.
Updated January 8, 2025
