Drug abuse worker vs intervention specialist

The differences between drug abuse workers and intervention specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a drug abuse worker and an intervention specialist. Additionally, an intervention specialist has an average salary of $50,180, 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 an intervention specialist are mental health, social work, and crisis intervention.

Drug abuse worker vs intervention specialist overview

	Drug Abuse Worker	Intervention Specialist
Yearly salary	$36,741	$50,180
Hourly rate	$17.66	$24.12
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	22,487	69,156
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Drug abuse worker vs intervention specialist salary

Drug abuse workers and intervention specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drug Abuse Worker	Intervention Specialist
Average salary	$36,741	$50,180
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Alameda, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Birch
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between drug abuse worker and intervention specialist education

There are a few differences between a drug abuse worker and an intervention specialist in terms of educational background:

	Drug Abuse Worker	Intervention Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Drug abuse worker vs intervention specialist demographics

Here are the differences between drug abuse workers' and intervention specialists' demographics:

	Drug Abuse Worker	Intervention Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between drug abuse worker and intervention specialist 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.

Intervention specialist example responsibilities.

Conduct mental health triage; make appropriate dispositions to other inpatient units with the local area.
Coordinate with parents, general education teachers, service providers in all aspects of the IEP and ETR annual review process.
Assist families with children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Track students' GPA, college and career goals.
Supervise employees and train for EIS certification through DARS and state of Texas.
Perform crisis phone triage, mobile face to face assessments and arrange for respite services.

Drug abuse worker vs intervention specialist 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 intervention specialist skills

Mental Health, 13%
Social Work, 9%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Classroom Management, 5%
Group Sessions, 5%
IEP, 4%

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Drug Abuse Worker
Drug Abuse Worker vs Intervention Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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