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Substance abuse technician vs behavioral therapist

The differences between substance abuse technicians and behavioral therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a substance abuse technician and a behavioral therapist. Additionally, a behavioral therapist has an average salary of $37,881, which is higher than the $35,408 average annual salary of a substance abuse technician.

The top three skills for a substance abuse technician include substance abuse treatment, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a behavioral therapist are autism, social work, and behavior analysis.

Substance abuse technician vs behavioral therapist overview

Substance Abuse TechnicianBehavioral Therapist
Yearly salary$35,408$37,881
Hourly rate$17.02$18.21
Growth rate4%14%
Number of jobs90,71091,976
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age3939
Years of experience66

What does a substance abuse technician do?

A substance abuse technician works at facilities that aim to support the treatment of clients suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and other interfering behavior. They work alongside counselors and fellow technicians in the joint effort to implement rehabilitation programs and help patients reach their journey to sobriety. Moreover, a substance abuse technician develops and coordinates treatment plans with health care professionals, conducts research and assessments, administers medications according to protocols, and monitors the patients' progress throughout the rehabilitation processes.

What does a behavioral therapist do?

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.

Substance abuse technician vs behavioral therapist salary

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

Substance Abuse TechnicianBehavioral Therapist
Average salary$35,408$37,881
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $49,000Between $27,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityKingman, AZNew York, NY
Highest paying stateHawaiiNew York
Best paying companySea Mar Community Health CentersGeorge C. Grape Community Hospital
Best paying industryManufacturingEnergy

Differences between substance abuse technician and behavioral therapist education

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

Substance Abuse TechnicianBehavioral Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Substance abuse technician vs behavioral therapist demographics

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

Substance Abuse TechnicianBehavioral Therapist
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between substance abuse technician and behavioral therapist duties and responsibilities

Substance abuse technician example responsibilities.

  • Work with outside counsel to develop patent and trademark portfolio and manage patent litigation.
  • Coordinate community base services, identifies high-risk patients, veterans and provides case management and crisis intervention services.
  • Provide care to chemically dependent patients in short-term social model detox program working directly with patients/families in all areas of recovery.
  • Collect sample for DNA testing.
  • Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
  • Maintain the integrity of all specimens under DOT/non-DOT guidelines.
  • Show more

Behavioral therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage behavioral program for each client assign (CPI training).
  • Modele self-help and independent skills to assist autistic and developmentally delay children achieving their establish goals.
  • Assist the BCBA in assessing new clients, supervising line therapists, providing parent training, and formulating client specific programs.
  • Analyze and interpret results through graphing data collect from individual sessions.
  • Work collaboratively with BCBA's and direct line staff to ensure care plan and procedures are being implement consistently and uniformly.
  • Communicate with school administration, school teacher's and teaching assistants with helping create IEP's and behavior plans for individuals.
  • Show more

Substance abuse technician vs behavioral therapist skills

Common substance abuse technician skills
  • Substance Abuse Treatment, 16%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Mental Health, 10%
  • Rehabilitation, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Client Transportation, 5%
Common behavioral therapist skills
  • Autism, 15%
  • Social Work, 12%
  • Behavior Analysis, 11%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Provide ABA, 6%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 5%

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