Requirements on How to Become a Substance Abuse Addictions Counselor

Good communication skills, respect for confidentiality, and establishing trust with clients are also critical. Addiction counselors also counsel friends and relatives of people living with addiction. Counseling sessions help friends and family members understand their loved one’s condition and how to provide support at home. Courses and internship experiences offered at the  Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School are designed for substance use and mental health licensure. Explore requirements for the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) credential in your state.

• The provisional certification is a temporary certification granted to a new OTP for up to one year, during which time it must become accredited.
• These recovery homes provide a stable environment where individuals can gain practical support (including job placement and legal services) while living among peers who share similar recovery journeys.
• This is done through individual face-to-face counseling sessions, group therapy sessions, and more.

Becoming an Addiction Counselor: Review

Programs that promote and support employee well-being may help employees with their recovery efforts. While after-work drinks can help co-workers unwind and make friends, they can undermine the recovery of co-workers. Recovering co-workers may want to avoid alcohol use but might experience social exclusion at work for not participating.

Does an AA sponsor need training in substance abuse counseling?

These certifications validate expertise in addiction counseling and are recognized nationally, enhancing the professional’s credibility and scope of practice. Counselors work in an industry that cannot meet the rapidly growing needs of Americans with substance use disorders. Each year, rates of addiction and drug overdose deaths continue to rise, which means the treatment facilities and trained counselors are not expanding quickly enough to meet the demands. As a result, counselors are more likely to deal with crises — which can be stressful — and are more likely to have large caseloads and not enough time and resources to help everyone. In a rapidly expanding industry that is expected to grow faster than other occupations, becoming a substance abuse counselor has never been more appealing.

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• Transcripts should also reflect 270 contact hours of academic training in substance use disorders/addiction, including 70 hours of training pertinent to adolescent treatment.
• The median annual salary for addiction counselors was $49,710 as of May 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), slightly exceeding the median of $45,760 for all U.S. jobs.

This model allows for a high degree of community involvement and the flexibility to tailor programs to meet local needs​. Rehabilitation specialists are dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities or those recovering from illnesses and injuries regain their independence and improve their quality of life. In the case of an addiction counseling degree, one’s degree must come from substance abuse counseling an accredited program. In particular, accreditation must meet the requirements of the state licensing board. Students who have non-accredited degrees may have to re-take some or all of their courses from an appropriately accredited institution if they wish to continue towards a career in counseling. Substance abuse counselors utilize a variety of tools to help in this process.

What Are the Education Requirements for a Substance Abuse Counseling Career?

What Do Substance Abuse Counselors Do?

Certification & Licensing Requirements