Occupation Profile

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

(SOC Code : 21-1011)

in California

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. Exclude "Social Workers" (21-1021 through 21-1029), "Psychologists" (19-3031 through 19-3039), and "Mental Health Counselors" (21-1014) providing these services.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Master's degree .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2013	1st Qtr	$18.12	$13.22	$16.60	$21.73

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	9,300	11,100	1,800	19.4	380

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Residential Mental Health Facilities

28.7%

Individual and Family Services

22,125

18.6%

Outpatient Care Centers

7,316

17.5%

Elementary and Secondary Schools

17,806

4.5%

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,592

2.2%

Psychiatric & Substance Abuse Hospitals

1,288

2.1%

Offices of Other Health Practitioners

47,435

1.7%

Offices of Physicians

66,405

1.2%

Other Residential Care Facilities

837

1.0%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling.

Clinical/Medical Social Work

Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients` histories and progress, services provided, or other required information.

Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.

Develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories.

Conduct chemical dependency program orientation sessions.

Participate in case conferences or staff meetings.

Coordinate counseling efforts with mental health professionals or other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, or social workers.

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.

Plan or implement follow-up or aftercare programs for clients to be discharged from treatment programs.

Assess individuals` degree of drug dependency by collecting and analyzing urine samples.

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Top Skills used in this Job

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.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

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 there is a problem.

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

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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