Chemical dependency professional vs addiction therapist

The differences between chemical dependency professionals 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 a chemical dependency professional and an addiction therapist. Additionally, an addiction therapist has an average salary of $53,271, which is higher than the $47,509 average annual salary of a chemical dependency professional.

The top three skills for a chemical dependency professional include patients, CDP and mental health. The most important skills for an addiction therapist are patients, social work, and chemical dependency.

Chemical dependency professional vs addiction therapist overview

	Chemical Dependency Professional	Addiction Therapist
Yearly salary	$47,509	$53,271
Hourly rate	$22.84	$25.61
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	47,704	94,942
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Chemical dependency professional vs addiction therapist salary

Chemical dependency professionals and addiction therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemical Dependency Professional	Addiction Therapist
Average salary	$47,509	$53,271
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $64,000	Between $39,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between chemical dependency professional and addiction therapist education

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

	Chemical Dependency Professional	Addiction Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemical Engineering	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Chemical dependency professional vs addiction therapist demographics

Here are the differences between chemical dependency professionals' and addiction therapists' demographics:

	Chemical Dependency Professional	Addiction Therapist
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	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 chemical dependency professional and addiction therapist duties and responsibilities

Chemical dependency professional example responsibilities.

Lead training for staff on specific counseling interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Observe strict compliance with all HIPPA guidelines
Conduct substance use assessments, diagnose DSM multi-axis clients, and design ISSP treatment plans.
Maintain a positive therapeutic relationship with patients while maintaining professional boundaries.
Encourage patients towards choosing in-patient/out-patient treatment, or transitional living environments, after their detox needs.
Provide daily group and individual psychotherapy at an outpatient rehabilitation facility for clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

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.

Chemical dependency professional vs addiction therapist skills

Common chemical dependency professional skills

Patients, 24%
CDP, 16%
Mental Health, 9%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Treatment Services, 4%
Substance USE Disorders, 4%

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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Chemical Dependency Professional
Chemical Dependency Professional vs Addiction Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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