Chemical dependency technician vs mental health technician

The differences between chemical dependency technicians and mental health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chemical dependency technician has an average salary of $35,341, which is higher than the $32,118 average annual salary of a mental health technician.

The top three skills for a chemical dependency technician include chemical dependency, patients and vital signs. The most important skills for a mental health technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Chemical dependency technician vs mental health technician overview

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Mental Health Technician
Yearly salary	$35,341	$32,118
Hourly rate	$16.99	$15.44
Growth rate	4%	9%
Number of jobs	20,927	103,710
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	34
Years of experience	2	-

Chemical dependency technician vs mental health technician salary

Chemical dependency technicians and mental health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Mental Health Technician
Average salary	$35,341	$32,118
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	CARE
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between chemical dependency technician and mental health technician education

There are a few differences between a chemical dependency technician and a mental health technician in terms of educational background:

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Mental Health Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Washington	California State University - Long Beach

Chemical dependency technician vs mental health technician demographics

Here are the differences between chemical dependency technicians' and mental health technicians' demographics:

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Mental Health Technician
Average age	44	34
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.5% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	15%

Differences between chemical dependency technician and mental health technician duties and responsibilities

Chemical dependency technician example responsibilities.

Drive to pick up new clients, drive clients to outside AA or NA meetings.
Transport to outside AA meetings.
Diagnose and recommend treatment for clients base on ASAM and DSM criteria.
Understand and comply with the practice regulations as outlined by OASAS and JCAHO.
Plan or implement follow-up or aftercare programs for clients to be discharge from detox.
Perform monitoring of detox clients and their medications, as well as their vitals.

Mental health technician example responsibilities.

Prevent and manage aggressive behavior among patients and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
Assist and organize workshops consisting of education, personal self-defense, CPR, and other techniques relating to mental health patients.
Assist in taking care of mental health patients, doing rounds on the ward, helping patients with compassion and care.
Apply immeasurable levels of compassion to preserve and safeguard the dignity of patients at all times.
Observe patient behaviors, if patients become physically violent, CPI training restraint techniques may become necessary.
Conduct patient rounds, assist with ADL care, offer therapeutic support, and provide written reports on assign patients

Chemical dependency technician vs mental health technician skills

Common chemical dependency technician skills

Chemical Dependency, 12%
Patients, 12%
Vital Signs, 11%
Patient Care, 9%
Substance Abuse, 7%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Common mental health technician skills

Patients, 26%
Vital Signs, 7%
CPR, 6%
Social Work, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%
Patient Safety, 4%

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Chemical Dependency Technician
Chemical Dependency Technician vs Mental Health Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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