Careers / Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

Not published

Employment

Not published

Typical education

Not recorded

Job Zone 5

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

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.

O*NET code
21-1011.00
Job zone
5
Experience required
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Typical tasks

  • Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
  • Attend training sessions to increase knowledge and skills.
  • Develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories.
  • Complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients' histories and progress, services provided, or other required information.
  • Review and evaluate clients' progress in relation to measurable goals described in treatment and care plans.
  • Plan or implement follow-up or aftercare programs for clients to be discharged from treatment programs.
  • Intervene as an advocate for clients or patients to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
  • Coordinate counseling efforts with mental health professionals or other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, or social workers.

Choose a location

No location in the current BLS dataset matches that filter for this occupation.

Salary analysis — United States

Salary data is not available for this occupation/location in the current BLS dataset.

Most important skills

  • Social Perceptiveness4.3
  • Active Listening4.3
  • Speaking4.1
  • Writing4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Monitoring4.0
  • Service Orientation3.9
  • Coordination3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Persuasion3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 19 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

19

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Social Perceptiveness4.35.0Not selected5.0
Active Listening4.34.1Not selected4.1
Reading Comprehension4.04.3Not selected4.3
Speaking4.14.1Not selected4.1
Writing4.04.0Not selected4.0
Critical Thinking3.94.1Not selected4.1
Monitoring4.03.9Not selected3.9
Service Orientation3.94.0Not selected4.0
Coordination3.94.0Not selected4.0
Active Learning3.94.0Not selected4.0
Persuasion3.94.0Not selected4.0
Judgment and Decision Making3.83.9Not selected3.9
Complex Problem Solving3.83.8Not selected3.8
Learning Strategies3.33.8Not selected3.8
Systems Evaluation3.43.4Not selected3.4
Instructing3.33.3Not selected3.3
Negotiation3.43.1Not selected3.1
Systems Analysis3.13.1Not selected3.1
Time Management3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.