How to become an addictions counsellor
Official title: Addictions counsellor
Also called: Drug and alcohol counsellor, Addictions practitioner, AOD practitioner, Addictions clinician, Addictions case worker, Addiction recovery counsellor, Substance use disorder counsellor
Addictions counsellors support and advise people with alcohol, tobacco, drug or other problems like gambling and eating disorders.
Main tasks
- Help people overcome addiction
- Develop and modify treatment plans
- Give drug screening tests
- Work with other professionals to plan care
- Help clients in emergencies
- Maintain records
- Write reports
- Study counselling and social work
How to become one
You usually need a qualification and experience to become an addictions counsellor. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in human welfare, psychology studies, public health studies or similar area; a bachelor's degree in counselling or similar area; a postgraduate certificate or diploma in counselling or similar area; experience in similar work; to be registered with the Addiction Practitioners’ Association Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ways in
- University: Social Work & Community degrees, Offered by 3 universities in New Zealand
- University: Psychology degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- University: Health & Public Health degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $86,912 to $106,564 a year (median $96,738), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $77,087 a year · Upper: $116,390 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- People employed in the group Counsellors: 5,223 at the 2018 Census and 5,607 at the 2023 Census (+7.4%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 310 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Counsellors, 75% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Counsellors work (2023 Census): Auckland 33.6%, Canterbury 13.4%, and Wellington 11.1%.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an addictions counsellor?
You usually need a qualification and experience to become an addictions counsellor. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in human welfare, psychology studies, public health studies or similar area; a bachelor's degree in counselling or similar area; a postgraduate certificate or diploma in counselling or similar area; experience in similar work; to be registered with the Addiction Practitioners’ Association Aotearoa New Zealand.
How much does an addictions counsellor earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $96,738 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $86,912 to $106,564 a year.
Will AI change the work of an addictions counsellor?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026