Alcoholic counselor vs addiction therapist

The differences between alcoholic counselors and addiction therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an alcoholic counselor and an addiction therapist. Additionally, an addiction therapist has an average salary of $53,271, which is higher than the $43,635 average annual salary of an alcoholic counselor.

The top three skills for an alcoholic counselor include social work, discharge planning and AOD. The most important skills for an addiction therapist are patients, social work, and chemical dependency.

Alcoholic counselor vs addiction therapist overview

	Alcoholic Counselor	Addiction Therapist
Yearly salary	$43,635	$53,271
Hourly rate	$20.98	$25.61
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	27,287	94,942
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Alcoholic counselor vs addiction therapist salary

Alcoholic counselors and addiction therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Alcoholic Counselor	Addiction Therapist
Average salary	$43,635	$53,271
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $58,000	Between $39,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between alcoholic counselor and addiction therapist education

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

	Alcoholic Counselor	Addiction Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	California State University - Long Beach

Alcoholic counselor vs addiction therapist demographics

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

	Alcoholic Counselor	Addiction Therapist
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%	Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6%
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 alcoholic counselor and addiction therapist duties and responsibilities

Alcoholic counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Facilitate substance abuse group counseling sessions to assist patients in recognizing causal factors of substance abuse and in developing coping behaviors.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

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.

Alcoholic counselor vs addiction therapist skills

Common alcoholic counselor skills

Social Work, 44%
Discharge Planning, 14%
AOD, 13%
Treatment Services, 9%
Mental Health, 7%
Intake Process, 3%

Common addiction therapist skills

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

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Alcoholic Counselor
Alcoholic Counselor vs Addiction Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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