The sooner you get help from a substance abuse counselor or other substance abuse treatment resources, the greater your chance to improve and recover. In this article, we can help you choose the right substance abuse counselor and provide information about what to expect during counseling. In some states you’ll find both, with professional associations offering certification and state government agencies offering licenses, each providing a different level of authority. Without a national board to establish a single set of education requirements for substance use professionals coast-to-coast, the responsibility for setting those standards is handled at the state level.

Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School​

Substance abuse counseling careers entail providing crisis intervention and conducting individual, family, and group counseling. Providing substance misuse counseling requires a fair amount of paperwork, including taking clinical notes, tracking cases, and completing discharge notes. When the alcohol or drug detox process is over, you’ll have stopped using the substance entirely. If you’ve gone through the process of detoxification and quitting, it can be vital that you avoid drinking or consuming any kind of substances.

Step 4: Apply for Licensure or Certification in Your State

This may be the International alcoholism Certification & Reciprocity Consortium’s (IC&RC) Alcohol and Drug Counselor Examination or Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor Examination. Or it could be an exam through the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCCAP). Addiction counselors may also work with specific populations, like teenagers, veterans or people with disabilities.

What Skills Are Essential for SA Counselors?

The Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School offers invaluable coursework and training that explores the study and treatment of substance use substance abuse counseling disorders, as well as mental health and co-occurring disorders. Work closely with full-time faculty, all of whom hold doctoral degrees and bring first-hand knowledge from years of clinical experience, research and teaching. Trained substance abuse counselors are experts at understanding the underlying causes of addiction and helping patients learn coping strategies and recognize their unique triggers.

One helpful step is seeking help from an addiction counselor or substance abuse counselor. Licensed addiction counselors or substance use counselors can help determine the underlying cause of addiction and create a treatment plan designed for the recovery of the person. However, if the person is committed to the treatment, recovery is possible.

• It’s a chance to give back and make a positive difference in the world, one person at a time.
• While it can be overwhelming to acknowledge and seek help, it’s important that you do — and know that you’re not alone.
• Common program titles include addiction counseling, substance abuse counseling, or addiction studies.
• Counselors working in addiction treatment settings help address this urgent public health challenge by delivering evidence-based care, supporting recovery, and preventing relapse.
• The chronic use of a substance that alters the mind, such as alcohol or narcotics, is referred to as substance abuse.
• In addition to clinical work, substance abuse counselors may assist with program development, documentation for insurance or court systems, and advocacy for client access to services.

Illegal Drug Addiction

• It can be difficult to admit that you are experiencing substance use disorder.
• Substance abuse counselor requirements tend to vary more by state than other professional counseling roles.
• If you find that you have trouble controlling your use of certain substances, then you may have a substance use disorder.
• Counselors for drug addiction may assist people in dealing with these issues by guiding clients away from substance abuse.

Ongoing counseling also helps to prevent relapse or a reoccurrence of symptoms. For all of these reasons, the demand for highly qualified addiction counselors continues to grow. If you are learning about the substance abuse counseling field, we suggest starting with the basics. Experience, education, and credentials factor into differences seen in substance abuse and mental health counseling salaries. The highest 10% of professionals pursuing substance abuse counseling careers made a median annual salary of $98,210, as listed in the table below.

Substance abuse counseling isn’t limited to drug and alcohol issues; it can include behavioral addictions such as gambling, eating disorders, and other dependencies. These counselors work with clients individually or in groups and may involve family members to ensure a supportive environment. For example, in Florida, substance abuse and addiction counselors earn the certified addiction counselor certification.