Drug abuse worker vs mental health consultant

The differences between drug abuse workers and mental health consultants 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 a mental health consultant. Additionally, a mental health consultant has an average salary of $51,006, 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 mental health consultant are healthcare, substance abuse, and patients.

Drug abuse worker vs mental health consultant overview

	Drug Abuse Worker	Mental Health Consultant
Yearly salary	$36,741	$51,006
Hourly rate	$17.66	$24.52
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	22,487	127,233
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Drug abuse worker vs mental health consultant salary

Drug abuse workers and mental health consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drug Abuse Worker	Mental Health Consultant
Average salary	$36,741	$51,006
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between drug abuse worker and mental health consultant education

There are a few differences between a drug abuse worker and a mental health consultant in terms of educational background:

	Drug Abuse Worker	Mental Health Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Drug abuse worker vs mental health consultant demographics

Here are the differences between drug abuse workers' and mental health consultants' demographics:

	Drug Abuse Worker	Mental Health Consultant
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%
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 mental health consultant 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.

Mental health consultant example responsibilities.

Serve as resource person for family health physicians at clinic on managing psychotropic medications for medical patients with psychiatric problems.
Evaluate patients for psychiatric and behavioral health issues; make recommendations regarding treatment measures, including medications and non-pharmacological treatments.
Supervise residential staff and provide individual and group counseling services in rehabilitation centers.
Provide occupational therapy consultation services to center's authorities to enhance intern's rehabilitation.
Program communication and development working with service providers, healthcare association and organizations to establish a state-wide tobacco treatment safety network.
Analyze and compare relate cases of past and present communicable diseases and STDs incidence to identify disease trends or patterns.

Drug abuse worker vs mental health consultant 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 mental health consultant skills

Healthcare, 14%
Substance Abuse, 12%
Patients, 11%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Social Work, 9%
Patient Care, 5%

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Drug Abuse Worker
Drug Abuse Worker vs Mental Health Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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