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Substance abuse clinician vs mental health clinician

The differences between substance abuse clinicians and mental health clinicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a substance abuse clinician, becoming a mental health clinician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mental health clinician has an average salary of $54,359, which is higher than the $50,155 average annual salary of a substance abuse clinician.

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

Substance abuse clinician vs mental health clinician overview

Substance Abuse ClinicianMental Health Clinician
Yearly salary$50,155$54,359
Hourly rate$24.11$26.13
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs12,01791,347
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Master's Degree, 49%
Average age3945
Years of experience64

Substance abuse clinician vs mental health clinician salary

Substance abuse clinicians and mental health clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Substance Abuse ClinicianMental Health Clinician
Average salary$50,155$54,359
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $68,000Between $36,000 And $80,000
Highest paying CityDanbury, CTSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyBoston Medical CenterCity and County of Denver Government
Best paying industryFinanceEducation

Differences between substance abuse clinician and mental health clinician education

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

Substance Abuse ClinicianMental Health Clinician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Master's Degree, 49%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Substance abuse clinician vs mental health clinician demographics

Here are the differences between substance abuse clinicians' and mental health clinicians' demographics:

Substance Abuse ClinicianMental Health Clinician
Average age3945
Gender ratioMale, 29.2% Female, 70.8%Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%15%

Differences between substance abuse clinician and mental health clinician 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.
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Mental health clinician example responsibilities.

  • Work with children with autism and developmental impairment, providing weekly therapeutic sessions.
  • Provide individual and group psychotherapy for adult population with goal of rehabilitation and community reintegration.
  • Meet productivity standards comply with all DMH documentation standards and participate in on call crisis intervention rotation.
  • Provide psychotherapy with empathy and concern as indicated by supervisory observation and feedback from patients, family and fellow team members.
  • Provide clinical therapeutic services to patients, including individual and group therapy and coordination of treatment for participants with co-occurring disorders.
  • Assess, diagnose, provide psychotherapy and rehabilitation for seriously mentally ill adults, children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance.
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Substance abuse clinician vs mental health clinician 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 mental health clinician skills
  • Social Work, 28%
  • Patients, 15%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Discharge Planning, 3%
  • Community Resources, 3%
  • Rehabilitation, 2%

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