How To Become A Chemical Dependency Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chemical dependency therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Debra Minsky-Kelly,

Dr. Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a chemical dependency therapist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.2 an hour? That's $56,575 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 9,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a chemical dependency therapist?

Debra Minsky-Kelly

Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College

I think there are two critical skills for social workers, whether they are first entering the workforce or seasoned professionals. These skills are humility and an appreciation for ambiguity in our work. A humble approach to our work empowers clients to become experts on their circumstances. Social workers are then positioned in a collaborative role to help clients use existing skills and resources to improve their situations. An appreciation for ambiguity is closely related to the idea of humility. It helps us to remember that practice situations we face in this field are often far more complicated than they appear on the surface. Thus, all social workers need to make a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing consultation with colleagues to ensure that multiple perspectives are included as we work to solve complex problems.

ScoreChemical Dependency TherapistUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,575

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.9

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 4.56%

Black or African American 11.43%

Hispanic or Latino 15.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 63.21%

Gender

female 71.20%

male 28.80%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chemical dependency therapist

Explore chemical dependency therapist education requirements

Most common chemical dependency therapist degrees

Bachelor's

49.4 %

Master's

42.1 %

Associate

5.6 %

Start to develop specific chemical dependency therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	30.85%
Chemical Dependency	19.29%
Treatment Services	10.80%
OASAS	6.67%
ASAM	5.63%

Complete relevant chemical dependency therapist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chemical dependency therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chemical dependency therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chemical dependency therapist resumes.

Research chemical dependency therapist duties and responsibilities

Utilize ASAM's criteria to determine the appropriate therapeutic level of care for patients/clients.
Direct weekly psycho-educational group for parents of patients.
Coordinate intake process for new patients including preliminary individual treatment plans.
Develop and increase knowledge of federal, state and agency regulations regarding confidentiality methadone treatment and substance abuse counseling certification.

Prepare your chemical dependency therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chemical dependency therapist resume.

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