Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

Minimal Risk
12%

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Vote Comments (3)
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
4%
(Minimal Risk)
POLLING
20%
(Low Risk, Based on 55 votes)
Average: 12%
LABOR DEMAND *
GROWTH
18.8%
by year 2033
WAGES
$53,710
or $25.82 per hour
Volume
397,880
as of 2023

Employment data isn't available specifically for this occupation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so we are using the data from Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors.

SUMMARY
What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
8.2/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

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Calculated automation risk

4% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): Occupations in this category have a low probability of being automated, as they typically demand complex problem-solving, creativity, strong interpersonal skills, and a high degree of manual dexterity. These jobs often involve intricate hand movements and precise coordination, making it difficult for machines to replicate the required tasks.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some very important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Assisting and Caring for Others

  • Social Perceptiveness

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Persuasion

  • Negotiation

  • Originality

User poll

20% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 4% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

The following graph is shown where there are enough votes to produce meaningful data. It displays user poll results over time, providing a clear indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors' job openings is expected to rise 18.8% by 2033

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors' was $53,710, or $26 per hour

'Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors' were paid 11.8% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 397,880 people employed as 'Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors' within the United States.

This represents around 0.26% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 381 people are employed as 'Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors'.

Job description

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.

SOC Code: 21-1011.00

Comments (3)

Seamus o’D. (No chance)
20 Jun 2025 09:57
Assigning the work to an AI does not mean it will actually be done effectively. Substance use is complex and multifaceted and above all, really human. In ‘therapy’, AI tend to simply reinforce and agree with what someone has said, but sometimes this is not helpful. If AI were to be put in this position, perhaps it could do an outwardly passable job at first, but in general rates of recovery would plummet. Furthermore, due to the sensitive nature of addiction, many people entering recovery often need human interaction to assist in community reintegration and rebuilding healthy relationships, as well as uniquely human, experienced based perspectives and true (not imitated) compassion. Lastly, many may be uncomfortable working with AI and would simply refuse services due to the sensitivity and vulnerability of substance use services, and the potential violations of patient confidentiality involved in AI data use.
Jess G. (No chance)
04 Mar 2023 05:09
You need deep meaningful connections to make a real impact and cause a real change in the attitudes and behaviors that brought them to seek treatment in the first place, I would know I have been to 8 treatment centers. There is a complete difference from a therapist that has walked down this path and one that has read it out of a book. You can't learn what it was like to live through active addiction you have either been through it or haven't and know the way out through your own experiences or you know what the book told you to say. You can't learn personal skills like that.
C W (No chance)
21 Aug 2019 18:50
There are complex interpersonal and emotive skills required to be an effective counselor.
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