What does a substance abuse clinician do?
Substance abuse clinician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real substance abuse clinician resumes:
- 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.
- Administer state require DWI protocols including breathalyzer tests and obtaining specimens.
Substance abuse clinician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Substance Abuse Clinicians are proficient in Social Work, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Listening skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Substance Abuse Clinicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 30%
Supervised graduate level social work interns offering clinical expertise and guidance.
- Substance Abuse Treatment, 11%
Implemented mental health and substance abuse treatment plan/discharges maintaining adequate records and reports meeting CCSD requirements; using electronic medical records.
- Patients, 6%
Developed Dual Diagnosis tract for chronic psychiatric patients
- Substance USE Disorders, 4%
Conduct initial biopsychosocial assessments and drug/alcohol evaluations for clients presenting with substance use disorders, cross-addiction and co-occurring disorders.
- Community Resources, 3%
Provide effective case management services, coordinating client-specific linkage, monitoring, planning, and advocacy with community resources.
- Clinical Assessments, 3%
Administered clinical assessments and individualized treatment plans designed to address destructive behaviors related to addiction and mental health/disability issues.
"social work," "substance abuse treatment," and "patients" are among the most common skills that substance abuse clinicians use at work. You can find even more substance abuse clinician responsibilities below, including:
Compassion. The most essential soft skill for a substance abuse clinician to carry out their responsibilities is compassion. This skill is important for the role because "social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Additionally, a substance abuse clinician resume shows how their duties depend on compassion: "provide high quality, compassionate and ethical outpatient behavioral health therapy to clients as scheduled. "
Interpersonal skills. substance abuse clinician responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." This resume example shows what substance abuse clinicians do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "utilize effective oral, interpersonal, and persuasive communication skills in motivating patients to develop self-reliance in daily living. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for substance abuse clinician responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of substance abuse clinicians all the time, as "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment." An excerpt from a real substance abuse clinician resume shows how this skill is central to what a substance abuse clinician does: "possess superior organizational skills in regards to keeping client records and pertinent clinical documentation. "
Communication skills. Lastly, "communication skills" is an important element of what a substance abuse clinician does. Substance abuse clinician responsibilities require this skill because "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives." This resume example highlights how substance abuse clinician duties rely on this skill: "provided individual therapy for adults and children using art to facilitate communication of painful experiences. "
The three companies that hire the most substance abuse clinicians are:
- American Addiction Centers20 substance abuse clinicians jobs
- Sea Mar Community Health Centers4 substance abuse clinicians jobs
- Universal Health Services3 substance abuse clinicians jobs
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Compare different substance abuse clinicians
Substance abuse clinician vs. Behavioral interventionist
A behavior interventionist, or sometimes called behavior intervention specialist (BIS), is an individual who provides support and training for students with behavioral challenges through behavior management techniques and coping skills. Behavior interventionists must assist in implementing Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIP) or Individual Education Programs (IEP) to students who have difficulties in learning and advancing with their class. They are required to travel between different schools to attend case review meetings and meet with teachers who need assistance for managing problems in their classrooms. Behavior interventionists also consult with both medical and psychological professionals to develop and implement BIPs.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between substance abuse clinicians and behavioral interventionist. For instance, substance abuse clinician responsibilities require skills such as "social work," "substance abuse treatment," "patients," and "substance use disorders." Whereas a behavioral interventionist is skilled in "autism," "behavior analysis," "aba," and "applied behavior analysis." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Behavioral interventionists tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,036. In contrast, substance abuse clinicians make the biggest average salary, $51,520, in the finance industry.On average, behavioral interventionists reach lower levels of education than substance abuse clinicians. Behavioral interventionists are 25.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Substance abuse clinician vs. Behavior interventionist
A behavioral therapist is responsible for supporting patients with various developmental disorders and behavioral difficulties. Behavioral therapists conduct counseling to the patients, identifying their personal and social challenges, and administering treatment plans to modify unusual behaviors. They also coordinate with other medical professionals to plan activities and therapy sessions for patients' needs. A behavioral therapist maintains a record of the patients' progress, help them on developing social engagement, and adjust treatment strategies depending on the patients' noticeable changes.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that substance abuse clinician responsibilities requires skills like "substance abuse treatment," "patients," "substance use disorders," and "community resources." But a behavior interventionist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "applied behavior analysis," "autism," "behavior analysis," and "developmental disabilities."
On average, behavior interventionists earn a lower salary than substance abuse clinicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, behavior interventionists earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $41,611. Whereas substance abuse clinicians have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $51,520.In general, behavior interventionists achieve lower levels of education than substance abuse clinicians. They're 26.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for substance abuse clinicians in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Cheryl Stenmark Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director, Industrial/Organizational Psychology Masters Program, Angelo State University
Substance abuse clinician vs. Behavioral therapist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from substance abuse clinician resumes include skills like "substance abuse treatment," "substance use disorders," "community resources," and "clinical assessments," whereas a behavioral therapist is more likely to list skills in "autism," "behavior analysis," "provide aba," and "applied behavior analysis. "
Behavioral therapists earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $41,338. Comparatively, substance abuse clinicians have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $51,520.When it comes to education, behavioral therapists tend to earn lower degree levels compared to substance abuse clinicians. In fact, they're 23.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Substance abuse clinician vs. Addiction therapist
Types of substance abuse clinician
Updated January 8, 2025
