Addiction counseling can be a highly rewarding career and earning your addiction counseling degree is easier than you might think. At Sober College of Addiction Studies, we can help you complete the education requirements to earn your substance abuse counselor certification and our program can be completed in just six months.
What Do Addiction Counselors Do?
Addiction counseling is a career that is in high demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in the next 10 years, the demand for these professionals will increase by more than 20%. To put that in perspective, the average for all occupations is just 8%. In the next ten years, the BLS estimates that the United States will need an additional 75,000 addiction counselors.
While it might seem like counseling services make up the bulk of the work of an addiction counselor, these professionals wear many hats, so to speak. Certainly, counseling is an important part of the job, but substance abuse counselors also handle a wide range of case management tasks. Counselors handle tasks that fall under what is known as the 12 Core Functions of Addiction Counseling. This does include actual one-on-one counseling, group counseling and family counseling.
Beyond that, you will be responsible for patient screening as well as intake and orientation when your clients enter a treatment facility. You will need to be able to create treatment plans and work with other professionals to address all of the issues your patient may be facing.
Most people in treatment facilities don’t simply suffer from substance use disorders, but rather have co-occurring disorders. These could be mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders and more, as well as physical health issues such as chronic pain, diabetes, etc.
In order to create a workable, successful recovery plan, all of these issues need to be addressed, not just the addiction. Otherwise, long-term sobriety can be difficult to attain. This means addiction counselors must work with many types of professionals to ensure that each patient has plenty of support after leaving the treatment facility.
Your Addiction Counseling Degree Options
In general, individuals interested in becoming addiction specialists have several options. Typically, most people begin their career as some level of Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CADC).
If you have a high school diploma (or the equivalent) or an associate’s degree in behavioral health or a related field, you can become either a CADC-I or CADC-II. If you have a bachelor’s degree, you also are eligible to work toward CADC-III certification.
For all three of these levels, we can provide the 315 hours of education required for these credentials. While the coursework is identical, the differences between these three levels lies in the number of required supervised work experience hours.
A CADC-I requires 3,000 hours of supervised work experience. If you have an associate’s degree in behavioral health or an allied mental health profession, the number of hours drops to 2,080.
To become a CADC-II, you will need to complete 6,000 hours of supervised work experience regardless of any college degrees you may possess. Many CADC-I’s will work toward the goal of earning their CADC-II credential. To become a CADC-III, you must complete 4,000 hours of supervised work experience.
All three levels also must complete 255 practicum hours, which is a supervised internship. It’s important to note that these practicum hours will be added to the total number of supervised work hours. You also must pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam.
If you earn your master’s degree, you also have the option of becoming what is known as a Master Addiction Counselor (MAC). This credential also is known as a Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and there are several other names, depending on your state. However, the requirements to earn this credential tend to be identical throughout the United States.
While CADC is a common name for an addiction counselor, some states do use different terminology even though the job requirements are about the same. You might hear this job called an Alcohol and Drug Counselor, or ADC. Sometimes it might be called a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, or LCDC, or perhaps another name.
Why Select Sober College?
While the names of the counselors might differ, our addiction counseling degree program can be used throughout the United States (excepting Alaska, Montana and North Dakota). Our program is CCAPP-approved, NAADAC-approved and IC&RC-approved and it can be completed entirely online.
Earning an online degree is ideal for adults with busy work schedules and family commitments because it allows you have full control over when and where you study. We’ve been focused on providing quality online education for many years, and our system is user-friendly and easy to learn.
While our CADC degree program is online, we do provide plenty of instructional support. Instructors are available to assist students daily and can be reached via email 24/7 with a 24-hour turnaround time. We also provide a “General Questions” discussion forum on our online system, Moodle. Students can post questions regarding assignment requirements or address course concerns and receive a response within 24 hours.
Unlike most traditional colleges and universities, our addiction counseling program
offers rolling admissions, so you can begin at any time. Our program is also more affordable than other comparable programs and we have no hidden fees. Our tuition rates are just $2,500 and that includes all coursework and class materials for the entire program.
Textbooks will cost an additional $300 to $500 depending on whether you purchase new or used textbooks. While we don’t accept financial aid, you can opt to pay your tuition over the course of six months or spread out the payments for up to 12 months.
Additional Credential Options
While we focus on helping students earn their CADC credentials, once you’ve earned this credential, there are many possibilities for advancement. Here are just a few of the additional opportunities you have once you become a CADC.
Certified Criminal Justice Professional
Many people in the prison system have substance use disorders. A Certified Criminal Justice Professional, or CCJP, can help provide support for people who are incarcerated as well as helping them transition out of jail and maintain long-term sobriety.
California Certified Prevention Specialist
This professional works on the flip side of the coin, if you will, and helps support programs and design programs to help support substance abuse prevention. With this career, you might work with representatives from your local police department, school district or a community outreach program to help encourage people to make healthy decisions.
Certified Co-Occurring Disorder Professional
As stated earlier in this article, most people who seek treatment for substance use disorders have at least one co-occurring disorder. This credential does require that the applicant has completed a bachelor’s degree in a course of study such as behavioral science.
Medication-Assistant Treatment Specialist
Medication often is used as a component of a substance abuse treatment plan, and it can be very effective, especially for those battling alcohol addiction and/or opioid addiction. While this specialization doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, many employers will expect you have completed a bachelor’s degree in an applicable field although years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
These are just a few of the options to consider once you have earned your CADC credential. There are several other interesting options, including Intervention Specialists, Women’s Treatment Specialists, Professional Recovery Coaches and much more.
Get Started Now!
If you want to get started on your addiction counseling degree and certification, just click on the Get Started tab on our homepage and select “Apply.” If you have questions, simply click on the “Speak With Someone” tab in this same section and fill out our quick contact form. A member of our admissions team will be in touch as soon as possible to answer any questions you may have.
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