Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADCs) play a critical role in helping people overcome addiction and rebuild their lives. As awareness of mental health and recovery grows, so does the need for compassionate professionals in this field. Here are a few reasons why earning your LADC license can be an excellent option.
1. LADCs Make A Difference
If you would love to have a career where you truly make a meaningful impact on people’s lives, becoming a substance use disorder (SUD) counselor can be an excellent option to consider, and an LADC is a common type of SUD counselor.
This is purpose-driven work, and helping others recover from addiction can give your career deep meaning and align with your goals of providing service and compassion to others. It can be challenging at times, but you will truly be on the front lines helping people every day and leading them to better lives and, hopefully, long-term sobriety.
2. A Stable Career in High Demand
Millions of Americans suffer from substance use disorders, and addiction counseling jobs are in high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment opportunities for social work, mental health counselors and substance abuse counselors will continue to grow at a high rate, unlike other career options, which may offer fewer job openings.
3. LADCs Enjoy Diverse Work Settings
While you might think that an addiction specialist works only at an inpatient treatment facility, that is just one option. There are private practices that specialize in treatment, outpatient facilities, hospitals, community centers and many other work settings where an addiction counselor will be needed.
4. There are Many Opportunities for Specialization
Once you earn your LADC license and have gained some experience in your profession, there are many interesting opportunities to consider. For instance, you might find that you have a talent for organizing and carrying out interventions and might want to become an Intervention Specialist.
Other options include working as a professional in the criminal justice system, helping people incarcerated or those returning to society achieve long-term sobriety. You might also consider working to prevent substance use disorders by earning a Prevention Specialist credential.
Additionally, if you have not completed a college degree, you might work toward earning your bachelor’s degree for more career advancement and possibly even a master’s degree, which can open up supervisory roles. These are just a few of the options to consider, and we recommend researching the options available in your state.
5. It’s a Highly Accessible Career
In most states, you can earn your LADC license without having a college degree. For instance, in California, where an LADC is known as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, or CADC, you need only have earned a high school diploma or its equivalent to work toward earning your CADC certification.
6. LADCs Often Experience Tremendous Personal Growth
Becoming a certified drug and alcohol counselor doesn’t just transform the lives of your clients; it can transform you, as well. Working with clients and helping them toward a successful recovery can strengthen your own resilience and patience, as well as your understanding of human behavior.
7. LADCs Help Break the Stigma
Not only will you be helping others heal, but you also can help educate others and model compassion toward those with substance use disorders. There are many stigmas regarding addiction, and these can prevent people from seeking treatment. But acting as an advocate, you can help others better understand substance use disorders and how treatment can be successful.
How To Earn Your LADC License
First, it is important to note that some states will refer to this process as licensing, while other states might use the term certification or credentialing. Additionally, depending on your state, LADCs might be called a CADC or perhaps a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC), an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) or perhaps another term. In general, however, the steps you need to take for licensing or certification are similar.
The first step will be to complete your education, and at Sober College of Addiction Studies, we offer a curriculum that can be used in most states. Our curriculum is NAADAC-approved and approved by the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium, or IC&RC.
IC&RC is an international organization that provides tests for different types of addiction specialists, including LADCs and CADCs. Our curriculum is IC&RC-approved, which means it can provide you with all you need to know to pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam, which is a requirement of certification or licensing.
Before you take this exam, you will need to complete an approved addiction studies educational program, such as the one we offer at Sober College. Our program is approved in all states except Alaska, Montana and North Dakota.
Additionally, you will need to complete a practicum experience, and states vary on the number of hours required for this step, which is basically an internship at an approved facility. During the practicum, students must spend at least 21 hours handling each of the 12 Core Functions of Addiction Counseling, which includes everything from patient screening to counseling to case management and more.
At Sober College, we include a 255-hour practicum as part of our curriculum. Some states will require that you complete more hours, perhaps 300 or 275. Be sure to go to your state certification or licensing board to research the precise number of hours required to become a LADC, CADC, ADC or a similar type of counselor.
Once you’ve completed your educational units and practicum, you can take the IC&RC ADC exam and then move on to the final phase – completion of your supervised work experience hours.
The number of hours you will be required to complete varies by state and by the level of addiction counselor. For instance, in California, a CADC-I must complete 3,000 hours of supervised work experience, while a CADC-II will need to complete 6,000. Most CADC-I’s will work toward CADC-II certification.
These work experience hours will be paid work, and often, your practicum hours will be counted toward the overall total. So while you will be paid (often with benefits such as health insurance and paid time off), you are simply working under a supervisor until you have completed the required number of hours.
Why Choose Sober College?
Sober College has many advantages over programs at traditional colleges or universities. These programs can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take years to complete. The total cost of our program (excluding books) is $4,250 with no hidden or extra fees. Our program also can be completed in just six months, and it is 100% online, which allows you to better fit learning into your busy schedule.
If you wish to earn your LADC license and would like to choose Sober College as your educational provider, simply head to the Get Started tab on our homepage. From there, you can either select Apply or, if you have questions about our program, select Speak With Someone, and a member of our team will be in touch as quickly as possible to help.
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