As a first step, it’s a good idea to look up the licensure or certification requirements of your state and use this information to help plan your education. Addiction counselors work in a variety of professional settings, from community mental health centers to state and federal government agencies. As a licensed addiction and mental health counselor, you can also open your own private counseling practice.
Where You Can Get Real-World Experience
They may have had additional training specific to recognizing and treating alcohol addiction and related disorders, such as a postgraduate certificate or other formal training. Drug and alcohol counselors provide treatment and guidance on behavior to clients who are living with addictions or want to maintain sobriety. An addiction counselor may choose to focus on the treatment of one particular addiction, a related group of addictions, or the spectrum of addiction disorders. There are a variety of treatment approaches for counseling those with addictions, and addiction counselors will typically specialize in certain approaches to therapy.
- At the entry-level, you can expect to earn perhaps $22 per hour and often more.
- Self-help meetings are not used as a threat or an indicator that clients will be terminated from treatment if they refuse to attend.
- Lateness and absenteeism are addressed therapeutically as behavioural manifestations of a client’s ambivalence about change.
- None of the above are APA accredited (as we discussed earlier, the American Psychological Association only accredits doctoral programs), but all are either regionally accredited or nationally accredited.
- Most substance abuse counselor certification programs require you to earn college credit hours and accumulate professional work experience before you sit for their exams.
Step 1: Review Counseling Licensure or Certification Requirements for Your State
The more education you earn, the more tools you’ll have at your disposal to help people with addictions. More than 19 million Americans ages 12 and up battled a substance abuse disorder in 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated some of these efforts because many providers have been forced to adopt virtual counseling. This made it easier to see patients from other states, and to continue seeing patients when they travel or move.
What It Takes to Be a Substance Abuse Counselor?
If you have specific questions regarding eligibility or requirements, please complete the form on this page to connect with a university counselor. Two types of accreditation are recognized in the United States; institutional and specialized. Institutional accreditation takes the entire institution into account while the specialized focus on professional preparation programs. The review for accreditation will center on programs offering graduate degrees in substance abuse counseling. In order to create a counseling plan for a client, a substance abuse counselor will first try to determine the type and severity of a person’s substance abuse.
Each program has its own costs, so it’s important to understand how to pay for treatment. Find options for covering costs with or without insurance, including free and low-cost programs. Ben Lesser is one of the most sought-after experts in health, fitness and medicine. His articles impress with unique research work as well as field-tested skills. He is a freelance medical writer specializing in creating content to improve public awareness of health topics.
Relationship Between Clients and Counselors
Check with the licensing board for the state in which you plan to practice and evaluate its requirements. In general, the licensing board may require academic and clinical experience hours, a background check and a fingerprint clearance. This educational path can empower you to provide comprehensive counseling care for people with drug abuse disorders.
- Prospective counselors should check the specific requirements and processes applicable in their state or region.
- Enhancing a client’s motivation for change is an essential part of the counsellor’s role in this approach.
- A number of master’s programs don’t require you to hold a particular bachelor’s degree.
- Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) certification is a professional credential awarded to individuals who have demonstrated a high level of competence in counseling persons with alcohol and drug abuse problems.
Job Outlook and Salary for CADC Certified Professionals
They also ensure that all state substance abuse counselors are competent, ethical, and capable of meeting societal needs. While a number of certifications are available in New York, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) deals specifically with drug and alcohol abuse and addiction counseling. It’s important to note that Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor CASACs are not permitted to engage in private practice unless they have been given legal permission to do substance abuse counseling so. The first step toward becoming a substance abuse and addiction counselor is obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology, counseling, substance abuse or a related field. Then a master’s degree, and subsequent supervised experience, is required to become licensed at the independent level which allows you to practice without supervision and have a private practice. Advanced certifications and degrees can open up further opportunities in program management or clinical supervision.
- With a field as vast and diverse as mental health, you’ll have many opportunities to update your skills, expand your practice, or advance in your addiction counseling career.
- Psychoactive drug addiction has been identified as a multifaceted, multi-structured problem involving several factors, including physical and mental aspects and social drug counseling.
- Download, read, and order free NIMH brochures and fact sheets about mental disorders and related topics.
- NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals is an organization for people who work in substance abuse treatment.
- Individuals that suffer from substance abuse often suffer from a number of physical problems as well.
Substance Abuse Counselor Education Requirements
