How to hire a substance abuse counselor

Substance abuse counselor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring substance abuse counselors in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire a substance abuse counselor is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new substance abuse counselor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a substance abuse counselor, step by step

To hire a substance abuse counselor, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a substance abuse counselor:

Here's a step-by-step substance abuse counselor hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a substance abuse counselor job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new substance abuse counselor
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a substance abuse counselor do?

Substance abuse counselors act as a support system for people with drug and alcohol problems and other behavioral issues. They help the patients control their behavior until they achieve a full recovery. The mental health counselors aid patients to overcome their chemical dependencies and become self-sufficient individuals. Part of their duty includes meeting clients to evaluate their health and substance issues while creating goals and treatment plans. They teach clients coping mechanisms, refer them to support groups, and engage them in group therapy sessions. Once the patient is stable, they help them re-establish their careers and give updates and reports of progress to the courts. Requirements for the job include a master's degree in counseling and social work.

Learn more about the specifics of what a substance abuse counselor does

Post a substance abuse counselor job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your substance abuse counselor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a substance abuse counselor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a substance abuse counselor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a substance abuse counselor that fits the bill.

This list shows salaries for various types of substance abuse counselors.

Type of Substance Abuse Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
Substance Abuse Counselor	Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, or other behavioral problems. They provide treatment and support to help the client recover from addiction or modify problem behaviors.	$12-32
Mental Health Therapist	The job of mental health therapists is to guide individuals, groups, couples, and families with problems that are impacting their well-being and mental health. Their duties and responsibilities include encouraging clients to talk about their experiences, examining issues that may affect mental health such as substance abuse and bullying, and assisting clients in defining their goals and action plans... Show more	$16-33
Primary Therapist	Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.	$20-39

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Patients
- Substance Abuse Treatment
- Social Work
- Crisis Intervention
- Intake Assessments
- Rehabilitation
- Excellent Interpersonal
- Mental Health Issues
- Criminal Justice
- Individual Sessions
- Treatment Services
- Treatment Programs
- Chemical Dependency
- Relapse Prevention
Check all skills
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.
More substance abuse counselor duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your substance abuse counselor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A substance abuse counselor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

For example, the average salary for a substance abuse counselor in Texas may be lower than in New Hampshire, and an entry-level substance abuse counselor usually earns less than a senior-level substance abuse counselor. Additionally, a substance abuse counselor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

Average substance abuse counselor salary

$43,069yearly

$20.71 hourly rate

Entry-level substance abuse counselor salary

$27,000 yearly salary

Updated January 14, 2026

Average substance abuse counselor salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Jersey	$54,419	$26
2	Massachusetts	$53,313	$26
3	Rhode Island	$52,479	$25
4	New York	$51,206	$25
5	Wyoming	$50,931	$24
6	Delaware	$50,852	$24
7	Wisconsin	$50,060	$24
8	Ohio	$49,056	$24
9	Virginia	$48,863	$23
10	Pennsylvania	$48,050	$23
11	Alaska	$47,496	$23
12	Maryland	$46,819	$23
13	Kentucky	$46,716	$22
14	California	$45,204	$22
15	Colorado	$44,017	$21
16	North Carolina	$42,131	$20
17	Missouri	$39,211	$19
18	Indiana	$38,345	$18
19	Georgia	$37,681	$18
20	Texas	$36,942	$18

Average substance abuse counselor salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Erlanger Health System	$66,404	$31.93	2
2	Wellpath	$61,008	$29.33	25
3	Hospital Sisters Health System	$53,687	$25.81	3
4	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	$53,582	$25.76
5	Berkshire Medical Center	$52,161	$25.08	2
6	New Seasons Market	$51,622	$24.82	36
7	MaineGeneral Health	$51,337	$24.68	4
8	County Of Los Angeles Public Library	$51,240	$24.63
9	Universal Health Services	$50,938	$24.49	238
10	Kaiser Permanente	$50,378	$24.22	55
11	Highland Rivers Health	$49,557	$23.83
12	Catholic Health East	$49,380	$23.74	1
13	Telecare	$49,200	$23.65	91
14	CITC	$48,987	$23.55
15	Community Action Organization	$48,886	$23.50
16	Devereux Arizona	$48,307	$23.22	76
17	Berkshire	$48,155	$23.15
18	Supportive Concepts for Families	$48,155	$23.15	2
19	Volunteers of America-Greater New York	$47,952	$23.05	21
20	Lifespan	$47,826	$22.99	1

Writing a substance abuse counselor job description
A good substance abuse counselor job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a substance abuse counselor job description:
Substance abuse counselor job description example

FT Linthicum Heights, MD. 21090

Maryland House Detox

As a Nurse working for Maryland Detox, you will join a team of multi-disciplinary professionals all working together to help adults learn the tools to become and remain stable and healthy. Maryland House Detox is well established in the local community and has helped countless clients since its beginning. Conveniently located near BWI airport between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD, we offer clients a safe and comfortable environment to successfully withdraw from addictive substances.

Maryland House Detox offers a competitive salary and benefits package. We offer professional development, we foster a culture of community and growth, as well as inclusive of life experiences in recovery. This culture extends to staff engaging events (both onsite and offsite) examples include holiday celebrations and sporting themes. We are looking for the best talent to join our team as we capitalize on people's strength and encourage internal career progression.

Areas of Responsibility:

· Maintain client case load in detox setting

· Performs group facilitation and support treatment goals

· Assessing clients using the standardized or evidence-based assessment tools and diagnosing clients for substance disorders using the DSM 5

· Obtaining previous records that are relevant to the current treatment episode

· Collaborating with the client to develop a written treatment plan that is client-centered and recovery oriented and includes goals and measurable objectives

· Providing the substance abuse counseling services specified in the client treatment plan

· Reviewing clients throughout the treatment episode according to ASAM PPC-2R, to determine the need for continued services or discharge/transfer

· Reviewing and, where necessary, revising the substance abuse counseling portion of the client treatment plan to address emerging problems

· Providing active case consultation

Benefits and Perks offered:

· Generous paid time bank (vacation, holiday, and sick banks)

· Time and half on holiday pay

· Learning program: educational sessions and clinical supervision potential

· Leadership development

· Incentives for service awards

· Promote engagement and recognition of longevity
Requirements:
Qualifications:

· Previous experience with Group Facilitation

· Preferred experience in Detox setting

· Certified Associate Counselor - Alcohol and Drug (CAC-AD) - Bachelor-level alcohol and drug counselor with appropriate level education

· Certified Supervised Counselor - Alcohol and Drug (CSC-AD) - Associate-level alcohol and drug counselor with appropriate level education

PI193400659
Post your job
To find substance abuse counselors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any substance abuse counselors they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level substance abuse counselors with the right educational background.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your substance abuse counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit substance abuse counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting substance abuse counselors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new substance abuse counselor
Once you've selected the best substance abuse counselor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.
After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new substance abuse counselor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a substance abuse counselor?

There are different types of costs for hiring substance abuse counselors. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new substance abuse counselor employee.

You can expect to pay around $43,069 per year for a substance abuse counselor, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for substance abuse counselors in the US typically range between $12 and $32 an hour.

Find better substance abuse counselors in less time

Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring substance abuse counselors FAQs

How much does a good substance abuse counselor cost?

What are the duties of a substance abuse counselor?

Should I hire a substance abuse counselor with no experience?

Search for substance abuse counselor jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Updated January 14, 2026

Browse community and social services jobs

How to hire a substance abuse counselor