Alcoholic counselor vs substance abuse clinician

The differences between alcoholic counselors and substance abuse clinicians 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 a substance abuse clinician. Additionally, a substance abuse clinician has an average salary of $50,155, 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 a substance abuse clinician are social work, substance abuse treatment, and patients.

Alcoholic counselor vs substance abuse clinician overview

	Alcoholic Counselor	Substance Abuse Clinician
Yearly salary	$43,635	$50,155
Hourly rate	$20.98	$24.11
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	27,287	12,017
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Alcoholic counselor vs substance abuse clinician salary

Alcoholic counselors and substance abuse clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Alcoholic Counselor	Substance Abuse Clinician
Average salary	$43,635	$50,155
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $58,000	Between $36,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Danbury, CT
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Boston Medical Center
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between alcoholic counselor and substance abuse clinician education

There are a few differences between an alcoholic counselor and a substance abuse clinician in terms of educational background:

	Alcoholic Counselor	Substance Abuse Clinician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
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 substance abuse clinician demographics

Here are the differences between alcoholic counselors' and substance abuse clinicians' demographics:

	Alcoholic Counselor	Substance Abuse Clinician
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
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 substance abuse clinician 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.

Substance abuse clinician example responsibilities.

Provide clinical assessments, psychotherapy, and case management for patients and clients recovering from mental health disorders and substance addiction.
Provide individual and group treatment and rehabilitation for youth diagnose with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.
Provide all forms of intervention, from assessment to aftercare, to patients suffering with substance-relate, psychiatric and co-occurring disorders.
Facilitate psychoeducational and rehabilitation groups using standard group techniques.
Assess and treat elementary school students with articulation, language, and autism spectrum disorders under an apprenticeship model of supervision.
Assist team of professionals with developing ISP's, IEP's, and needs assessments to determine proper treatment.

Alcoholic counselor vs substance abuse clinician skills

Common alcoholic counselor skills

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

Common substance abuse clinician skills

Social Work, 30%
Substance Abuse Treatment, 11%
Patients, 6%
Substance USE Disorders, 4%
Community Resources, 3%
Clinical Assessments, 3%

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Alcoholic Counselor
Alcoholic Counselor vs Substance Abuse Clinician

Updated January 8, 2025

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