What they do
Counsel and advise individuals with alcohol, tobacco, drug, or other problems, such as gambling and eating disorders. May counsel individuals, families, or groups or engage in prevention programs.
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Also called: |
Addictions Counselor, Case Manager, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADAC), Chemical Dependency Counselor (CD Counselor), Chemical Dependency Professional, Clinical Counselor, Counselor, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist (DATS), Prevention Specialist, Substance Abuse Counselor (SA Counselor)
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Wages
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Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors* |
Vermont - 2021 |
Percentile1 | Hourly | Yearly |
10% |
$ 18.44 |
$38,360 |
25% |
$ 18.67 |
$38,830 |
Median |
$ 22.75 |
$47,320 |
75% |
$ 28.55 |
$59,380 |
90% |
$ 30.45 |
$63,340 |
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Average |
$ 23.51 |
$48,890 |
* You're seeing information for "Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors" because it includes "Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors" for which wage information is not available. |
1 What are Percentile Wages? |
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More at CareerOneStop |
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Industries of Employment
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors* |
United States - 2020 |
Industry | Percent of total |
- Ambulatory healthcare services
| 33% |
| 17% |
- Nursing and residential care facilities
| 13% |
- Hospitals; state, local, and private
| 10% |
- Local government, excluding education and hospitals
| 7% |
* You're seeing information for "Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors" because it includes "Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors" for which industries of employment information is not available. |
More at BLS |
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Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about: |
- Therapy and Counseling
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
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- Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
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- Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
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- Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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- English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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Skills
People in this career often have these skills: |
- Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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- Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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- Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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- Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
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- Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments: |
- Social
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
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- Artistic
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
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- Investigative
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
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What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler |
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Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need: |
- Concern for Others
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
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- Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
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- Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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- Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
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- Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
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More at O*NET |
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Other Resources
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- CareerOneStop
resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
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- O*NET Online
nation's primary source of occupational information
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Related Occupations
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Career Video
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Projected Employment
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Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors* |
Vermont |
2020 employment |
1,841 |
2030 employment |
2,239 |
Annual percent change (compounded) |
2.0% |
Annual projected job openings (due to change and separations) |
227 |
* You're seeing information for "Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors" because it includes "Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors" for which projected employment information is not available. |
More at Occupational Projections |
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Education and Experience:
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors* |
- Typical education needed for entry
Bachelor's degree
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- Work experience in a related occupation
None
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- Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
None
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* You're seeing information for "Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors" because it includes "Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors" for which education and experience information is not available. |
Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications |
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Job Zone
Extensive Preparation Needed |
- Specific Vocational Preparation Range
(8.0 and above) - A typical worker will require
over 4 years up to and including 10 years or more
of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
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Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP |
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Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have? |
Education level |  | Percent of U.S. Workers |
Doctoral or professional degree or post-MA certificate |  | 8% |
Master's degree or post-BA certificate |  | 41% |
Bachelor's degree |  | 3% |
Associate's degree |  | 24% |
Certificate or some college, no degree |  | 0% |
High school diploma or equivalent |  | 24% |
Less than high school diploma |  | 0% |
More at O*NET |
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Licensing
Vermont may require an occupational license: |
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Select a license for details |
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Abilities
People in this career often have talent in: |
- Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
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- Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
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- Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
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- Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
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- Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
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More at O*NET |
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Work Activities
In general, what you might do: |
- Getting Information
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
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- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
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- Processing Information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
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- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
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- Working with Computers
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
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Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day: |
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- Write reports or evaluations.
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- Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues.
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- Administer drug screening tests.
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- Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress.
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Tasks
On the job, you would: |
- Complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients' histories and progress, services provided, or other required information.
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- Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
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- Assess individuals' degree of drug dependency by collecting and analyzing urine samples.
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- Follow progress of discharged patients to determine effectiveness of treatments.
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- Conduct chemical dependency program orientation sessions.
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More at O*NET |
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