Addiction therapist vs family therapist

The differences between addiction therapists and family therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an addiction therapist, becoming a family therapist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an addiction therapist has an average salary of $53,271, which is higher than the $50,774 average annual salary of a family therapist.

The top three skills for an addiction therapist include patients, social work and chemical dependency. The most important skills for a family therapist are social work, patients, and rehabilitation.

Addiction therapist vs family therapist overview

	Addiction Therapist	Family Therapist
Yearly salary	$53,271	$50,774
Hourly rate	$25.61	$24.41
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	94,942	106,982
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	39	41
Years of experience	6	4

Addiction therapist vs family therapist salary

Addiction therapists and family therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Addiction Therapist	Family Therapist
Average salary	$53,271	$50,774
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $71,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between addiction therapist and family therapist education

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

	Addiction Therapist	Family Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Addiction therapist vs family therapist demographics

Here are the differences between addiction therapists' and family therapists' demographics:

	Addiction Therapist	Family Therapist
Average age	39	41
Gender ratio	Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6%	Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2%
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, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	6%

Differences between addiction therapist and family therapist 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.

Family therapist example responsibilities.

Complete documentation to medicaid standards.
Create maximum billable Medicaid hours and submitting necessary paperwork for Medicaid billing.
Apply behavioral analysis instruction for a student with autism concentrating on communication, socialization, self-help skills and community skills.
Receive and process referrals from DCF and community-base case managers for individuals suspect as substance abusers.

Addiction therapist vs family therapist skills

Common addiction therapist skills

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

Common family therapist skills

Social Work, 27%
Patients, 6%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Community Resources, 4%
Mental Health Issues, 4%
Group Therapy, 3%