Sex addiction therapists help men and women who are addicted to Internet and other types of pornography and aberrant sexual behaviors overcome their addictions. Most work in abuse centers, outpatient clinics, hospitals and individual and family services facilities, where patients stay for extended periods until they complete their treatments. If you want to become a sex addiction therapist, you can expect your earnings to vary by state or district.

Salary Over $50,000

The average annual salary of a sex addiction therapist was $54,000 as of 2013, according to the jobs website Indeed. To become a sex addiction therapist, you need a master's degree in substance abuse or addictions counseling and five years of experience in the counseling field, according to the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals. Certification is also required for all substance abuse and behavior disorder counselors, including sex addiction therapists, in private practices, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to five years of experience in counseling, you'll need to complete 2,000 to 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work to earn your certification, and then pass an exam to get licensed in your state. Other essential qualifications are compassion and patience and listening, speaking and interpersonal skills.

New York Pays Best

In 2013, average salaries for sex addiction therapists varied the most in the West, according to Indeed, where they earned the lowest salaries in Hawaii and the highest in California at $35,000 and $58,000, respectively. If you worked as a sex addiction therapist in Maine or New York, you'd earn an average of $46,000 or $65,000, respectively -- the lowest and highest salaries in the Northeast. In the South, you'd earn the most in Washington, D.C., or least in Louisiana, at $64,000 or $46,000, respectively. In the Midwest, sex addiction therapists made $40,000 to $60,000, with the lowest salaries in Nebraska and South Dakota and highest in Illinois.

Earn More Than Mental Health Counselors

While sex addiction therapists earned $54,000 on average in 2013, substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors averaged $40,920 as of May 2012, according to the BLS. The top 10 percent made more than $60,000 annually. Also in 2012, mental health counselors, who counsel people with family, marital or stress problems, made $43,290 per year, the BLS reported, and top earners exceeded $66,630.

Excellent Job Growth

The BLS projects a 27 percent increase in employment for all substance abuse and behavior disorder counselors, including sex addiction counselors, from 2010 to 2020, which is nearly twice the 14 percent growth rate for all occupations. Population increases across the United States will increase the number of people who need counseling for various addictions, such as drug, alcohol and sex addictions.