You just graduated with a degree in nursing, sociology or psychology. You’ve convinced yourself that you have the compassion, emotional strength and commitment to rehabilitate individuals who have drug abuse problems. Now you’re ready to send out resumes for a job you’ve longed to land—Drug Abuse Counselor. Here’s what you need to do now to get the job:
Get a license.
Every state has slightly different licensing requirements for people who want to practice drug abuse counseling. You can find these on the American Counseling Association and the Association of Social Work Board websites. You’ll need to call the local Certification Board for Addiction Professionals in your state. Find out if the certification requirements for drug abuse counselor are different for substance abuse counselors in general. If your college based its study program on the licensing requirements of your state, you’re ahead of the game.
Degrees can offset experience requirements.
Many states will insist you have a master’s degree before you can work as a licensed drug abuse counselor. If this is the case in your state, shoot for graduate programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP)--favored in most states. You’ll need to complete a specified number of supervised hours in a clinical setting to satisfy the requirements for a master’s degree. The higher your degree, the less counseling work experience you’ll need to qualify for certification. In New York, online counseling or human services degrees may be substituted for counseling work hours. A bachelor’s degree equals 2,000 hours of work experience; a master’s degree counts for 4,000 hours.
Complete post-graduate training and become certified.
After you get you master’s degree or equivalent experience, most states now require that you complete one to two years of supervised clinical training in a hospital or mental health clinic. You can get professional certification through the National Board for Certified Counselors, or the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselors. Most professional organizations who certify you will also require you to re-take written examinations every few years and complete a specified number of credit hours of continuing education in your field.
Get some experience in the field.
If you don’t have the time or money to invest in a master’s degree, get some experience working in the field. Some states consider an individual’s prior personal substance abuse as relevant experience in preparing you to become a drug abuse counselor. Once you land a job assisting a licensed drug counselor, you can work toward an advanced online counseling degree or a human services degree.
Be prepared to work nights.
When you enter this field as a newbie, prepare to work night shifts. The reason is simple: people with substance abuse problems are often admitted into the ER at night, and most hospitals will need you to immediately begin offering counseling for substance abuse addicts.
Getting into this field for the first time will test your compassion, emotional strength and commitment. As you’ll soon learn, it’s far more than just degrees and training.
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