Addiction therapist vs primary therapist

The differences between addiction therapists and primary 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 primary therapist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a primary therapist has an average salary of $59,826, which is higher than the $53,271 average annual salary of an addiction therapist.

The top three skills for an addiction therapist include patients, social work and chemical dependency. The most important skills for a primary therapist are patients, social work, and group therapy sessions.

Addiction therapist vs primary therapist overview

	Addiction Therapist	Primary Therapist
Yearly salary	$53,271	$59,826
Hourly rate	$25.61	$28.76
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	94,942	85,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	39	45
Years of experience	6	4

Addiction therapist vs primary therapist salary

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

	Addiction Therapist	Primary Therapist
Average salary	$53,271	$59,826
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $71,000	Between $43,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	-	Thousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between addiction therapist and primary therapist education

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

	Addiction Therapist	Primary Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Addiction therapist vs primary therapist demographics

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

	Addiction Therapist	Primary Therapist
Average age	39	45
Gender ratio	Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6%	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	15%

Differences between addiction therapist and primary 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.

Primary therapist example responsibilities.

Case managing, intakes, group and individual session, treatment plans, OASAS standards
Provide clinical therapy for severely emotionally disturb adolescents and their families to aid in the rehabilitation process.
Perform crisis intervention, including management of difficult or resistant patients, utilizing clinically appropriate accept techniques and methods.
Assist in development of extend hour IOP and PHP program.
experience, IOP, individual sessions, assessments, case management.
Assist in developing and assessing progress on individual rehabilitation plans.

Addiction therapist vs primary therapist skills

Common addiction therapist skills

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

Common primary therapist skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Eating Disorders, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

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Addiction Therapist
Addiction Therapist vs Primary Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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