Grief counselor vs substance abuse counselor

The differences between grief counselors and substance abuse counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a substance abuse counselor has an average salary of $43,069, which is higher than the $39,859 average annual salary of a grief counselor.

The top three skills for a grief counselor include patients, MSW and community outreach. The most important skills for a substance abuse counselor are patients, substance abuse treatment, and social work.

Grief counselor vs substance abuse counselor overview

	Grief Counselor	Substance Abuse Counselor
Yearly salary	$39,859	$43,069
Hourly rate	$19.16	$20.71
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	27,537	78,643
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	44	39
Years of experience	-	6

Grief counselor vs substance abuse counselor salary

Grief counselors and substance abuse counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Grief Counselor	Substance Abuse Counselor
Average salary	$39,859	$43,069
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $49,000	Between $27,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Hampshire
Best paying company	-	Erlanger Health System
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between grief counselor and substance abuse counselor education

There are a few differences between a grief counselor and a substance abuse counselor in terms of educational background:

	Grief Counselor	Substance Abuse Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Grief counselor vs substance abuse counselor demographics

Here are the differences between grief counselors' and substance abuse counselors' demographics:

	Grief Counselor	Substance Abuse Counselor
Average age	44	39
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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	9%	12%

Differences between grief counselor and substance abuse counselor duties and responsibilities

Grief counselor example responsibilities.

Provide individual grief counseling to hospice and non-hospice community patients in bereavement.
Provide anticipatory grief and bereavement counseling support to family members of hospice patients.
Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
Organize and lead regular youth and college bible studies, teaching about prayer and promoting spirituality.

Substance abuse counselor example responsibilities.

Ensure and manage the compliance with Didi Hirsch policies and procedures, contracts and other regulatory agencies, HIPAA and DMH.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Perform assessment of patients using ASAM criteria and recommendation for appropriate level of programming.
Process detox patient admissions on computer system which include - conducting alcohol and drug assessment, taking psycho/social history.
Provide clinical services, patient care, education and opiate addiction counseling services to patients receiving methadone maintenance and detoxification treatment.
Certify for first aid and CPR.

Grief counselor vs substance abuse counselor skills

Common grief counselor skills

Patients, 19%
MSW, 18%
Community Outreach, 11%
Emotional Support, 10%
Educational Workshops, 10%
Ministry, 7%

Common substance abuse counselor skills

Patients, 16%
Substance Abuse Treatment, 11%
Social Work, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Intake Assessments, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Grief Counselor
Grief Counselor vs Substance Abuse Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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