Substance abuse counselor vs children's counselor

The differences between substance abuse counselors and children's counselors 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 counselor, becoming a children's counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a substance abuse counselor has an average salary of $43,069, which is higher than the $38,024 average annual salary of a children's counselor.

The top three skills for a substance abuse counselor include patients, substance abuse treatment and social work. The most important skills for a children's counselor are child care, social work, and mental health.

Substance abuse counselor vs children's counselor overview

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Children's Counselor
Yearly salary	$43,069	$38,024
Hourly rate	$20.71	$18.28
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	78,643	39,726
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	39	42
Years of experience	6	4

Substance abuse counselor vs children's counselor salary

Substance abuse counselors and children's counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Children's Counselor
Average salary	$43,069	$38,024
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $67,000	Between $21,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Trenton, NJ	Torrance, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	New Jersey
Best paying company	Erlanger Health System	Lake County
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Government

Differences between substance abuse counselor and children's counselor education

There are a few differences between a substance abuse counselor and a children's counselor in terms of educational background:

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Children's Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Substance abuse counselor vs children's counselor demographics

Here are the differences between substance abuse counselors' and children's counselors' demographics:

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Children's Counselor
Average age	39	42
Gender ratio	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	10%

Differences between substance abuse counselor and children's counselor duties and responsibilities

Substance abuse counselor example 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.

Children's counselor example responsibilities.

Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
Develop and attend treatment plan and IEP meetings for adolescents with mental diagnosis.
Maintain IEP goals and classroom management.
Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

Substance abuse counselor vs children's counselor skills

Common substance abuse counselor skills

Patients, 16%
Substance Abuse Treatment, 11%
Social Work, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Intake Assessments, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

Common children's counselor skills

Child Care, 22%
Social Work, 12%
Mental Health, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Group Therapy, 7%
Family Therapy, 4%

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Substance Abuse Counselor
Substance Abuse Counselor vs Children's Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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