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The differences between mental health counselors and alcohol and drug counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mental health counselor, becoming an alcohol and drug counselor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $45,758 average annual salary of an alcohol and drug counselor.
The top three skills for a mental health counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for an alcohol and drug counselor are patients, social work, and crisis intervention.
| Mental Health Counselor | Alcohol And Drug Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $49,471 | $45,758 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $22.00 |
| Growth rate | 9% | - |
| Number of jobs | 110,752 | 77,461 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.
A drug & alcohol counselor treats addicts in either one-on-one or group settings. They help by educating and developing possible treatment plans for patients to support them in coping with their addictive personalities. A drug and alcohol counselor will evaluate to determine the progress has been successfully made towards recovery. They help patients better understand and overcome their addictions. Counselors help through offering support, rehabilitation, and guidance by using various techniques. Drug & alcohol counselors seek to help an addict find the source of their addiction.
Mental health counselors and alcohol and drug counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Counselor | Alcohol And Drug Counselor | |
| Average salary | $49,471 | $45,758 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $30,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services | Montage Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and an alcohol and drug counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Counselor | Alcohol And Drug Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and alcohol and drug counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Counselor | Alcohol And Drug Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 15% | 12% |