Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

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.

Most important skills

Active Listening
Social Perceptiveness
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Monitoring
Critical Thinking
Active Learning

Key knowledge

Therapy and Counseling
Psychology
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Sociology and Anthropology
Education and Training
Administrative
Administration and Management

What the work involves

Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
Complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients' histories and progress, services provided, or other required information.
Develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories.
Review and evaluate clients' progress in relation to measurable goals described in treatment and care plans.
Interview clients, review records, and confer with other professionals to evaluate individuals' mental and physical condition and to determine their suitability for participation in a specific program.
Intervene as an advocate for clients or patients to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
Provide clients or family members with information about addiction issues and about available services or programs, making appropriate referrals when necessary.
Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in client status.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (33.3% of expert ratings)
Related experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (33.3%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (29.2%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 21-1019 (aggregate); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Higher on contact with others than 56% of occupations compared	58% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 56% of occupations compared	33% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Higher on teamwork than 52% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 58% of occupations compared	54% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	High	Higher on time pressure than 68% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 82% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 87% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 63% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Very serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: high
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions