Drug abuse worker vs clinical social worker

The differences between drug abuse workers and clinical social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a drug abuse worker, becoming a clinical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $36,741 average annual salary of a drug abuse worker.

The top three skills for a drug abuse worker include substance abuse treatment, crisis intervention and abuse program. The most important skills for a clinical social worker are social work, patients, and behavioral health.

Drug abuse worker vs clinical social worker overview

	Drug Abuse Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$36,741	$63,056
Hourly rate	$17.66	$30.32
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	22,487	124,816
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Master's Degree, 54%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	2

Drug abuse worker vs clinical social worker salary

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

	Drug Abuse Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Average salary	$36,741	$63,056
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $42,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Tucson Electric Power
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between drug abuse worker and clinical social worker education

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

	Drug Abuse Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Master's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Drug abuse worker vs clinical social worker demographics

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

	Drug Abuse Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	13%

Differences between drug abuse worker and clinical social worker duties and responsibilities

Drug abuse worker example responsibilities.

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Require to successfully complete yearly training for medication management, behavioral management and periodic CPR and first aid certifications.
Facilitate institutional AA meetings as necessary.

Clinical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical services to patients in rehabilitation and oncology including assessment, crisis intervention, grief therapy, and discharge planning.
Provide individual, group, family therapy, team coordination, discharge planning, utilization review and MSW student supervision.
Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to determine Medicare length of skil nursing stay.
Facilitate therapy, symptom management, and rehabilitation groups for mental health clients in partial hospitalization setting.

Drug abuse worker vs clinical social worker skills

Common drug abuse worker skills

Substance Abuse Treatment, 39%
Crisis Intervention, 14%
Abuse Program, 13%
Transport Clients, 12%
Clinical Supervision, 6%
Group Therapy, 4%

Common clinical social worker skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 17%
Behavioral Health, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
MSW, 3%

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Drug Abuse Worker
Drug Abuse Worker vs Clinical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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