SOC 21-1023.00Bright outlook

    Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

    Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs.

    Median pay
    $60,280
    Growth
    +10.3%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    12,500
    Typical education
    Master's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $39,740
    Median
    $60,280
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $104,170
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    132,810 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Mental health and substance abuse social workers assess and treat people dealing with emotional, mental, or addiction issues. The career offers a median annual pay of $60,280, with opportunities in individual therapy, crisis intervention, and case management.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What mental health and substance abuse social workers do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field focus on assisting and caring for others by treating individuals with mental health concerns or substance abuse problems, including tobacco, alcohol, and drug addictions. Their daily tasks involve conducting individual and group therapy sessions, managing cases, intervening during crises, and advocating for clients. They must gather information, make decisions, solve complex problems, and resolve conflicts.

    To succeed, workers need strong social perceptiveness, active listening, and speaking skills. They rely on a deep knowledge of therapy, counseling, psychology, and sociology. Because this is a highly social occupation, success depends on building strong interpersonal relationships and communicating clearly with supervisors and peers. Essential work styles include empathy, cooperation, sincerity, stress tolerance, and self-control. Practitioners must also document and record information carefully while organizing and prioritizing their daily caseloads.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires extensive preparation, with a master's degree being the standard entry-level education. Most individuals in this field hold a graduate degree, such as a master's degree or a doctorate. Students preparing for this path often major in social work or mental and social health services and allied professions.

    Depending on the state and specific job requirements, some states list licensing for this work. Relevant professional certifications are also available to demonstrate expertise. These include the Bachelors Social Work Licensing Examination from the Association of Social Work Boards, the Certified Case Manager credential from the Commission for Case Manager Certification, and the Nationally Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist credential from NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for these social workers was $60,280. Earnings vary based on experience and setting, with the lowest 10% earning less than $39,740 and the highest 10% earning more than $104,170.

    With 132,810 people employed in this field, the occupation is growing rapidly. Employment is projected to change by 10.3% from 2025 to 2035, a rate that is much faster than average. This growth is expected to result in approximately 12,500 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    12 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    51 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    30 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    24 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    35 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    89
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    89
    Documenting/Recording Information
    89
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    87
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    86
    Getting Information
    84
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    83
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    80
    Providing Consultation and Advice to Others
    80
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    80
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Active Listening
    • Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination
    • Service Orientation
    • Learning Strategies

    Knowledge

    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Psychology
    • English Language
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Education and Training
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Philosophy and Theology
    • Administration and Management

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Speech Clarity
    • Fluency of Ideas
    • Speech Recognition

    Work styles

    • Empathy
    • Cooperation
    • Sincerity
    • Dependability
    • Social Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Optimism
    • Self-Control
    • Integrity
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Addictions Counselor · Alcoholism Worker · Assessment Specialist · Behavior Specialist · Behavioral Case Manager · Behavioral Clinician · Behavioral Health Care Manager (BHCM) · Behavioral Health Case Manager · Behavioral Health Social Worker · Behavioral Health Utilization Management Representative (Behavioral Health Utilization Management Rep)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to mental health and substance abuse social workers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$60,280 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of Pennsylvania UPENN logo
      University of Pennsylvania UPENN

      Philadelphia, PA · Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,054
      4 yrs after
      $76,395
      Median debt
      $13,021
    2. 2Providence College logo
      Providence College

      Providence, RI · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $70,356
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3
      CUNY Hunter College

      New York, NY · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $46,845
      4 yrs after
      $70,273
      Median debt
      $11,000
    4. 4California State University-San Bernardino logo
      California State University-San Bernardino

      San Bernardino, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $59,991
      4 yrs after
      $69,201
      Median debt
      $11,000
    5. 5
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $44,889
      4 yrs after
      $68,524
      Median debt
      $21,763
    6. 6
      California State University-Long Beach

      Long Beach, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $45,614
      4 yrs after
      $68,448
      Median debt
      $11,000
    7. 7Pacific Lutheran University logo
      Pacific Lutheran University

      Tacoma, WA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $67,458
      Median debt
      $18,862
    8. 8University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $51,615
      4 yrs after
      $67,393
      Median debt
      $8,893

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What mental health and substance abuse social workers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Clinical/Medical Social Work
    • Social Work
    • Social Work, Other

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    48 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Questions about mental health and substance abuse social workers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this field are also called addictions counselors, alcoholism workers, assessment specialists, or behavior specialists. Other common titles include behavioral case managers, behavioral clinicians, and behavioral health social workers.

    What are the main educational requirements for this profession?

    Most people entering this field need a graduate degree, and a master's degree is the typical education required to enter. Common college majors that prepare students for this career are social work and mental and social health services.

    How fast is this field growing?

    The field is experiencing rapid growth, with employment projected to increase by 10.3% between 2025 and 2035. This rate of growth is much faster than average and is expected to create 12,500 openings each year.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.