Substance abuse counselor vs therapist

The differences between substance abuse counselors and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a therapist has an average salary of $55,943, which is higher than the $43,069 average annual salary of a substance abuse counselor.

The top three skills for a substance abuse counselor include patients, substance abuse treatment and social work. The most important skills for a therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.

Substance abuse counselor vs therapist overview

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Therapist
Yearly salary	$43,069	$55,943
Hourly rate	$20.71	$26.90
Growth rate	-	17%
Number of jobs	78,643	159,770
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	39	41
Years of experience	6	-

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.

What does a therapist do?

A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.

Substance abuse counselor vs therapist salary

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

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Therapist
Average salary	$43,069	$55,943
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $67,000	Between $39,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	Trenton, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	California
Best paying company	Erlanger Health System	Childhelp
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Government

Differences between substance abuse counselor and therapist education

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

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Substance abuse counselor vs therapist demographics

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

	Substance Abuse Counselor	Therapist
Average age	39	41
Gender ratio	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
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, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between substance abuse counselor and therapist 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.

Show more

Therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Provide on-call crisis intervention as well as standard treatment, rehabilitation and support services with some interventions requiring specialize therapy services.
Develop and implement an effective curriculum of DBT inform group and art therapy classes specifically tailor for chemically dependent patients.
Provide trauma-inform individual psychotherapy, TREM group treatment protocol, and EMDR.
Utilize current brain base therapeutic techniques to teach clients adaptive skills to utilize in daily lives.

Show more

Substance abuse counselor vs therapist skills

Common substance abuse counselor skills

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

Common therapist skills

Social Work, 23%
Patients, 12%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Mental Health, 4%
Patient Care, 3%

Substance Abuse Counselor vs. similar jobs

Substance Abuse Counselor related careers

Substance Abuse Counselor related jobs

Substance Abuse Counselor jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z