Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between substance abuse technicians and psychiatric social workers 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 technician, becoming a psychiatric social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a psychiatric social worker has an average salary of $59,144, 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 psychiatric social worker are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Substance Abuse Technician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $35,408 | $59,144 |
| Hourly rate | $17.02 | $28.43 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 90,710 | 57,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
A psychiatric social worker specializes in providing mental health treatments and other services to patients and their families, referring them to other agencies and programs as needed. They conduct assessments and interviews to determine the condition of patients, devise specific treatment and care plans, update and maintain patient records, conduct regular counseling sessions, and monitor the progress of every patient to ensure their health and welfare. They may also provide interventions, train junior psychiatric social workers, and conduct reviews and evaluations on existing care plans.
Substance abuse technicians and psychiatric social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Substance Abuse Technician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $35,408 | $59,144 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $49,000 | Between $43,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Kingman, AZ | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Sea Mar Community Health Centers | Highmark |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Government |
There are a few differences between a substance abuse technician and a psychiatric social worker in terms of educational background:
| Substance Abuse Technician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between substance abuse technicians' and psychiatric social workers' demographics:
| Substance Abuse Technician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% |
| 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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 13% |