Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between addictions counselor assistants and youth counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an addictions counselor assistant, becoming a youth counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an addictions counselor assistant has an average salary of $46,799, which is higher than the $36,754 average annual salary of a youth counselor.
The top three skills for an addictions counselor assistant include patients, social work and substance abuse. The most important skills for a youth counselor are direct care, mental health, and crisis intervention.
| Addictions Counselor Assistant | Youth Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $46,799 | $36,754 |
| Hourly rate | $22.50 | $17.67 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 86,506 | 78,461 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
An addictions counselor assistant works with a head counselor to provide support to patients suffering from addiction. They deal with the clerical and administrative side of running a counseling firm. This includes managing data, maintaining confidentiality of patient information, monitoring adherence to government regulations, and assisting with patients' treatment.
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.
Addictions counselor assistants and youth counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Addictions Counselor Assistant | Youth Counselor | |
| Average salary | $46,799 | $36,754 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $64,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | Chino Valley Unified School District | New York State Restaurant Association |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between an addictions counselor assistant and a youth counselor in terms of educational background:
| Addictions Counselor Assistant | Youth Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between addictions counselor assistants' and youth counselors' demographics:
| Addictions Counselor Assistant | Youth Counselor | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4% | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |