Counselor technician vs addiction therapist

The differences between counselor technicians 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 counselor technician and an addiction therapist. Additionally, an addiction therapist has an average salary of $53,271, which is higher than the $42,314 average annual salary of a counselor technician.

The top three skills for a counselor technician include intellectual property, patients and substance abuse. The most important skills for an addiction therapist are patients, social work, and chemical dependency.

Counselor technician vs addiction therapist overview

	Counselor Technician	Addiction Therapist
Yearly salary	$42,314	$53,271
Hourly rate	$20.34	$25.61
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	79,999	94,942
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Counselor technician vs addiction therapist salary

Counselor technicians and addiction therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counselor Technician	Addiction Therapist
Average salary	$42,314	$53,271
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $67,000	Between $39,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	BNY Mellon	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between counselor technician and addiction therapist education

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

	Counselor Technician	Addiction Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Counselor technician vs addiction therapist demographics

Here are the differences between counselor technicians' and addiction therapists' demographics:

	Counselor Technician	Addiction Therapist
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 45.6% Female, 54.4%	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 counselor technician and addiction therapist duties and responsibilities

Counselor technician example responsibilities.

Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
Transport clients to AA and NA meetings.
Transport clients to N/A or AA meetings each day, and also to the YMCA for recreational purposes.
Provide written documentation, facilitate group and individual programming and ensure safety of patients.
Supervise and/or escort patients in their medical and/or therapeutic treatments conduct by other professionals.
Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.

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.

Counselor technician vs addiction therapist skills

Common counselor technician skills

Intellectual Property, 17%
Patients, 11%
Substance Abuse, 10%
Litigation, 9%
Mental Health, 7%
Crisis Intervention, 6%

Common addiction therapist skills

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

Counselor Technician vs. similar jobs

Counselor Technician related careers

Counselor Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Counselor Technician
Counselor Technician vs Addiction Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs