What does an addictions counselor do?
An Addictions Counselor helps patients overcome personal addiction problems, such as dependence on drugs, alcohol, and other substances. They evaluate the condition of their client through examining, asking questions, and recommending the proper treatment options.
Addictions counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real addictions counselor resumes:
- Ensure and manage the compliance with Didi Hirsch policies and procedures, contracts and other regulatory agencies, HIPAA and DMH.
- Develop treatment plans and recommend a level of care within ASAM and DSM-IV guidelines, and approve requirements.
- Restore patients to productive roles by educating them about available community base organizations, and social and employment services.
- Perform initial evaluations and intakes, make eligibility determinations, conduct rehabilitation planning and problem solving, and counseling.
- Provide drug, alcohol, and rehabilitation counseling and education in a residential therapeutic community for female drug offenders.
- Serve as an advocate for family with private/public school-relate agencies (IEP meetings/education plans).
- Help them with everyday with ADL's, decisions, communication and social events.
- Schedule follow-up appointments and act as a liaison between DCF and DMH for clients applying for services.
- Administer state require DWI protocols including breathalyzer tests and obtaining specimens.
- Risk screen for alcohol and opioid withdrawal symptoms and dependence and assess for psychosis.
- Conduct IEP meetings and collaborate with special education teachers and staff to develop individualize education plans for students.
- Complete comprehensive assessments screening for suicide risk, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, and substance abuse.
- Monitor progress by assessing daily documentation of ISP objectives monthly.
Addictions counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Addictions Counselors are proficient in Patients, Social Work, and Chemical Dependency. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Addictions Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 18%
Restore patients to productive roles by educating them about available community based organizations, and social and employment services.
- Social Work, 12%
Increase social work knowledge by reviewing current literature and conducting social research
- Chemical Dependency, 6%
Evaluated adults with chemical dependency issues in an outpatient setting for both court and individual purposes and provided appropriate treatment recommendations.
- Crisis Intervention, 6%
Provide direct drug and alcohol services to include intake assessment, individual/family/group therapy, and crisis intervention to assigned clients.
- Substance Abuse Treatment, 5%
Provided group and individual therapy sessions for incarcerated women involved in four- and six-month Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for Women programs.
- Intake Assessments, 4%
Performed individual intake assessments and participated in interdisciplinary treatment planning while working collaboratively with other clinical departments to coordinate care.
"patients," "social work," and "chemical dependency" are among the most common skills that addictions counselors use at work. You can find even more addictions counselor responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an addictions counselor to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what addictions counselors do because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Additionally, an addictions counselor resume shows how addictions counselors use communication skills: "facilitated adult psycho-educational, co-dependency, relapse prevention and healthy living groups.taught families effective communication skills. "
Compassion. Another essential skill to perform addictions counselor duties is compassion. Addictions counselors responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Addictions counselors also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided effective and compassionate client centered approach to addiction treatment counseling. "
Interpersonal skills. addictions counselors are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to addictions counselor responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." An addictions counselor resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "facilitated interpersonal process groups, gender specific, relapse prevention, skills development and psychoeducational groups. "
Organizational skills. For certain addictions counselor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of an addictions counselor rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what addictions counselors do: "experience in group facilitation and public speaking experience in recruitment, training, case-management good organizational ability and problem-solving skills. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for an addictions counselor to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what addictions counselors relies on this skill, since "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." How this skill relates to addictions counselor duties can be seen in an example from an addictions counselor resume snippet: "facilitated group sessions regarding relapse prevention, conflict resolution and activities of daily living. "
Time-management skills. Lastly, "time-management skills" is an important element of what an addictions counselor does. Addictions counselor responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." This resume example highlights how addictions counselor duties rely on this skill: "maintained a caseload of 8+ patients, working under strict deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most addictions counselors are:
- Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation19 addictions counselors jobs
- Addiction Recovery Care16 addictions counselors jobs
- BayMark Health Services13 addictions counselors jobs
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Compare different addictions counselors
Addictions counselor vs. Mental health therapist
The job of mental health therapists is to guide individuals, groups, couples, and families with problems that are impacting their well-being and mental health. Their duties and responsibilities include encouraging clients to talk about their experiences, examining issues that may affect mental health such as substance abuse and bullying, and assisting clients in defining their goals and action plans. Mental health therapists are also responsible for developing therapeutic processes, referring clients to other services or resources like psychologists, and helping them adjust to life changes.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between addictions counselors and mental health therapist. For instance, addictions counselor responsibilities require skills such as "chemical dependency," "substance abuse treatment," "patient care," and "treatment services." Whereas a mental health therapist is skilled in "mental health," "mental illness," "therapeutic services," and "foster care." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Mental health therapists tend to make the most money working in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $53,528. In contrast, addictions counselors make the biggest average salary, $47,326, in the non profits industry.mental health therapists tend to reach higher levels of education than addictions counselors. In fact, mental health therapists are 21.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Addictions counselor vs. Primary therapist
Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real addictions counselor resumes. While addictions counselor responsibilities can utilize skills like "substance abuse treatment," "rehabilitation," "treatment services," and "family therapy," primary therapists use skills like "excellent organizational," "clinical services," "family therapy sessions," and "mental illness."
Primary therapists may earn a higher salary than addictions counselors, but primary therapists earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $61,326. On the other hand, addictions counselors receive higher pay in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $47,326.primary therapists earn higher levels of education than addictions counselors in general. They're 22.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Addictions counselor vs. Clinician
A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition. Furthermore, a clinician must obtain and analyze a patient's complete medical history, provide diagnostic tests, always monitor the effects of treatment on a patient, provide prognosis and consider the overall impact on a patient's health and well-being.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from addictions counselor resumes include skills like "chemical dependency," "substance abuse treatment," "family therapy," and "treatment programs," whereas a clinician is more likely to list skills in "individual therapy," "mental health," "mental illness," and "clinical services. "
Most clinicians achieve a higher degree level compared to addictions counselors. For example, they're 13.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Addictions counselor vs. Counselor/art therapist
A counselor/art therapist is responsible for conducting art sessions as part of patients' therapy treatments, letting them express their human nature and emotions through artistic discovery. Counselors/art therapists guide the patients throughout their recovery process, identifying their needs and conditions by analyzing their crafts. A counselor/art therapist coordinates with other medical professionals to deliver quality care services for the patients, monitor their progress, record observations, and instructing patients in art activities to discover their maximum potential.
Types of addictions counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
