If you’ve been searching for a rewarding career that’s also in high demand, becoming a substance abuse counselor can be a great option to consider. While this is a career where you truly help others, it can be a challenging vocation, so let’s discuss a few facts that might help you decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. Counseling Is A High Emotional Impact Career
Substance abuse counseling can be emotionally challenging. Counselors often work with clients facing significant struggles, which requires empathy, patience, and resilience. One of the toughest realities of this job is that addiction is tough to overcome, and every case will not be a success.
Progress can be slow, and relapse is common in recovery. Counselors need patience and persistence, as well as an understanding that small victories are significant steps toward a client’s success. Unfortunately, due to the emotional demands of the job, burnout is a risk. Substance abuse counselors need to practice self-care, establish boundaries, and seek support when needed.
2. Many Clients Have Co-Occurring Disorders
As you complete the educational units required for substance abuse counselor certification, you will learn a great deal about addiction and how to treat those with substance use disorders. However, it’s worth noting that for most of your clients, addiction is just one of the issues they face.
Most clients or patients will have some type of co-occurring disorder or more than one. For instance, many clients may have depression and anxiety or perhaps bipolar disorder or another behavior disorder. In some cases, a person might be dealing with chronic pain, which could be what led them to use drugs or alcohol.
To facilitate a long-lasting recovery, all of these issues need to be addressed in your case management, which means you will need to refer clients to other professionals to ensure that they have the support they need. Clients also might need additional resources, such as help with employment or housing, so addiction counselors need to develop relationships with many professionals outside of the scope of addiction counseling.
3. Counselors Work In Many Environments
While you might think that a certified addiction counselor only works in the type of inpatient rehab treatment facilities seen on TV or in the movies, counselors work in many settings. For instance, some addiction specialists work in hospitals and some work for private outpatient treatment centers.
Others work within the criminal justice system or perhaps at homeless shelters, women’s shelters or even in schools as Prevention Specialists. There are many options available, and the work environment you select can impact your job duties as well as the hours and even the client demographics.
4. The Demand For Counselors Is Growing
The demand for substance abuse counselors is increasing significantly as awareness of mental health and addiction issues grows and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects faster-than-average job growth. Factors such as the opioid epidemic, a rise in co-occurring mental health disorders, and a shift towards treatment over incarceration are driving this growth.
Many states now allocate more resources for addiction services, creating more job opportunities. Additionally, a nationwide focus on mental health support in workplaces and schools is expanding career options for counselors, making this a stable and impactful career choice with diverse opportunities.
5. Group & Family Counseling Skills Are Valuable
Many counselors work not only with individuals but also with families and groups. Group counseling skills, along with an understanding of family dynamics, can greatly enhance a counselor’s effectiveness.
While you will learn some of these skills during your substance abuse training, it’s always wise to talk with experienced counselors to learn more about how they approach counseling tasks. While experience is often the best teacher, extensive reading as well as utilizing resources such as the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) can be helpful, as well.
6. Education & Certification Requirements Vary
Requirements to become a substance abuse counselor differ by state and certification level. Some positions require only a high school diploma and certification, while others may require a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
At Sober College of Addiction Studies, we provide education for those who want to become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor or CADC. This is a widely recognized type of counselor certification although some states might use a different name for it such as Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) or another term.
While some states require more education than others, in general, most require 315 hours of addiction studies education for CADC certification, which is what we provide at Sober College. Our program is NAADAC-approved as well as IC&RC-approved and this means our substance abuse counseling curriculum can be used in most states. Alaska, Montana and North Dakota, which have unique counselor requirements, are the only states where our curriculum cannot be used.
Our program is 100% online and can be completed in just six months. At most traditional colleges or universities, similar programs take years to complete and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Our program is just $4,250 (plus $300-$500 total for books) making it a convenient and affordable option.
In addition to completing these educational units, students must complete a practicum. This is an internship, and most states require about 255 hours, although some require more. Our program includes this practicum experience, and we will teach you everything you need to know to pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) exam, which is yet another requirement for CADC certification.
From there, the final step is to complete your supervised work experience hours. These vary by state and by the level of counseling certification you wish to attain. For instance, a CADC-I will need to complete 3,000 hours, while a CADC-II will need 6,000 hours. A CADC-III needs just 4,000 hours, but this individual also must have completed a bachelor’s degree, which is not a requirement for CADC-I or CADC-II certification.
7. Continuing Education Is Required
To maintain certification, counselors typically need to complete continuing education (CE) courses. This allows them to stay updated on best practices, new treatments, and ethical standards. The number of CE units required to renew your credential varies by state.
Ready To Become A Substance Abuse Counselor?
While the work of a substance abuse counselor can be challenging, the rewards can be huge, and if you are ready to jumpstart this new career, Sober College can help. We offer rolling admissions to our addiction studies program, so contact us at any time to learn more or to enroll.
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