Addiction therapist vs alcohol and drug counselor

The differences between addiction therapists and alcohol and drug counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an addiction therapist and an alcohol and drug counselor. Additionally, an addiction therapist has an average salary of $53,271, which is higher than the $45,758 average annual salary of an alcohol and drug counselor.

The top three skills for an addiction therapist include patients, social work and chemical dependency. The most important skills for an alcohol and drug counselor are patients, social work, and crisis intervention.

Addiction therapist vs alcohol and drug counselor overview

	Addiction Therapist	Alcohol And Drug Counselor
Yearly salary	$53,271	$45,758
Hourly rate	$25.61	$22.00
Growth rate	9%	-
Number of jobs	94,942	77,461
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Addiction therapist vs alcohol and drug counselor salary

Addiction therapists and alcohol and drug counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Addiction Therapist	Alcohol And Drug Counselor
Average salary	$53,271	$45,758
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $71,000	Between $30,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Montage Health
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between addiction therapist and alcohol and drug counselor education

There are a few differences between an addiction therapist and an alcohol and drug counselor in terms of educational background:

	Addiction Therapist	Alcohol And Drug Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Addiction therapist vs alcohol and drug counselor demographics

Here are the differences between addiction therapists' and alcohol and drug counselors' demographics:

	Addiction Therapist	Alcohol And Drug Counselor
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between addiction therapist and alcohol and drug counselor duties and responsibilities

Addiction therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Conduct psycho-educational support groups on addictive behaviors, patterns and relapse prevention and perform psycho-social assessments on patients.
Provide individual and group therapy to chemically dependent and mental health patients in a residential setting.
Perform initial evaluations and intakes, make eligibility determinations, conduct rehabilitation planning and problem solving, and counseling.
Work closely with a license orthotist/prosthetist to obtain orthotics for children who require them.

Alcohol and drug counselor example responsibilities.

Plan and implement follow-up and aftercare programs for clients to be discharge from treatment programs.
Practice cognitive behavioral, motivational enhancement and structural family therapy.
front office, counseling and aftercare.
Administer UA test onsite and send out.
Improve IOP successful completion rate while facilitating seven groups per week.
Collect and organize statistical data as required by DASA, and NEWTA.

Addiction therapist vs alcohol and drug counselor skills

Common addiction therapist skills

Patients, 20%
Social Work, 15%
Chemical Dependency, 9%
Continuous Improvement, 8%
Client Care, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common alcohol and drug counselor skills

Patients, 15%
Social Work, 11%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Substance Abuse Treatment, 6%
Treatment Services, 6%

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Addiction Therapist
Addiction Therapist vs Alcohol And Drug Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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