Drug abuse counselor vs clinical counselor

The differences between drug abuse counselors and clinical counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a drug abuse counselor, becoming a clinical counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical counselor has an average salary of $54,191, which is higher than the $49,420 average annual salary of a drug abuse counselor.

The top three skills for a drug abuse counselor include patients, drug abuse and substance abuse education. The most important skills for a clinical counselor are social work, patients, and foster care.

Drug abuse counselor vs clinical counselor overview

	Drug Abuse Counselor	Clinical Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,420	$54,191
Hourly rate	$23.76	$26.05
Growth rate	11%	17%
Number of jobs	27,596	146,133
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	39	41
Years of experience	6	4

Drug abuse counselor vs clinical counselor salary

Drug abuse counselors and clinical counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drug Abuse Counselor	Clinical Counselor
Average salary	$49,420	$54,191
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $43,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Novo Nordisk
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between drug abuse counselor and clinical counselor education

There are a few differences between a drug abuse counselor and a clinical counselor in terms of educational background:

	Drug Abuse Counselor	Clinical Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Drug abuse counselor vs clinical counselor demographics

Here are the differences between drug abuse counselors' and clinical counselors' demographics:

	Drug Abuse Counselor	Clinical Counselor
Average age	39	41
Gender ratio	Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9%	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%
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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	15%

Differences between drug abuse counselor and clinical counselor duties and responsibilities

Drug abuse counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Consult with physicians regarding increase or decrease of methadone dosage.
Supervise and direct other workers providing services to patients.
Provide individual counseling services to opioid dependent clients in outpatient methadone maintenance treatment.
Participate in policy-shaping rehabilitation committee meetings.
Provide DBT group psychotherapy in inpatient, residential setting serving pregnant teenagers and young mothers.

Clinical counselor example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload of individuals in programs design to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the developmentally disable.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Perform client intake assessments and conduct monthly assessments to identify progress of patients and determine individuals ready to graduate from program.
Review charts to ensure that they are in compliance with OASAS standards.
Initial assessment, diagnosis, ASAM criteria, treatment planning , 3rd party contact, group and individual therapy.
Maintain appropriate documentation per NYS OASAS regulations and APG guidelines

Drug abuse counselor vs clinical counselor skills

Common drug abuse counselor skills

Patients, 14%
Drug Abuse, 10%
Substance Abuse Education, 10%
Discharge Summaries, 10%
Methadone, 6%
Substance Abuse Issues, 5%

Common clinical counselor skills

Social Work, 36%
Patients, 8%
Foster Care, 7%
Independent Living, 6%
Child Abuse, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

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Drug Abuse Counselor
Drug Abuse Counselor vs Clinical Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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