Substance abuse clinician vs drug abuse counselor

The differences between substance abuse clinicians and drug abuse counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a substance abuse clinician and a drug abuse counselor. Additionally, a substance abuse clinician has an average salary of $50,155, which is higher than the $49,420 average annual salary of a drug abuse counselor.

The top three skills for a substance abuse clinician include social work, substance abuse treatment and patients. The most important skills for a drug abuse counselor are patients, drug abuse, and substance abuse education.

Substance abuse clinician vs drug abuse counselor overview

	Substance Abuse Clinician	Drug Abuse Counselor
Yearly salary	$50,155	$49,420
Hourly rate	$24.11	$23.76
Growth rate	9%	11%
Number of jobs	12,017	27,596
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Substance abuse clinician vs drug abuse counselor salary

Substance abuse clinicians and drug abuse counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Substance Abuse Clinician	Drug Abuse Counselor
Average salary	$50,155	$49,420
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $68,000	Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Danbury, CT	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	Boston Medical Center	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between substance abuse clinician and drug abuse counselor education

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

	Substance Abuse Clinician	Drug Abuse Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Substance abuse clinician vs drug abuse counselor demographics

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

	Substance Abuse Clinician	Drug Abuse Counselor
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%	Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9%
Race ratio	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%	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	12%	12%

Differences between substance abuse clinician and drug abuse counselor duties and responsibilities

Substance abuse clinician example responsibilities.

Provide clinical assessments, psychotherapy, and case management for patients and clients recovering from mental health disorders and substance addiction.
Provide individual and group treatment and rehabilitation for youth diagnose with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.
Provide all forms of intervention, from assessment to aftercare, to patients suffering with substance-relate, psychiatric and co-occurring disorders.
Facilitate psychoeducational and rehabilitation groups using standard group techniques.
Assess and treat elementary school students with articulation, language, and autism spectrum disorders under an apprenticeship model of supervision.
Assist team of professionals with developing ISP's, IEP's, and needs assessments to determine proper treatment.

Drug abuse counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Consult with physicians regarding increase or decrease of methadone dosage.
Supervise and direct other workers providing services to patients.
Provide individual counseling services to opioid dependent clients in outpatient methadone maintenance treatment.
Participate in policy-shaping rehabilitation committee meetings.
Provide DBT group psychotherapy in inpatient, residential setting serving pregnant teenagers and young mothers.

Substance abuse clinician vs drug abuse counselor skills

Common substance abuse clinician skills

Social Work, 30%
Substance Abuse Treatment, 11%
Patients, 6%
Substance USE Disorders, 4%
Community Resources, 3%
Clinical Assessments, 3%

Common drug abuse counselor skills

Patients, 14%
Drug Abuse, 10%
Substance Abuse Education, 10%
Discharge Summaries, 10%
Methadone, 6%
Substance Abuse Issues, 5%

Substance Abuse Clinician vs. similar jobs

Substance Abuse Clinician related careers

Substance Abuse Clinician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Substance Abuse Clinician
Substance Abuse Clinician vs Drug Abuse Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs