Careers in Drug Abuse Treatment, Counseling, and Rehab

Do you possess excellent communication skills and are also calm under pressure/in a crisis? Addiction counselors also work to help their clients improve their personal relationships. They might provide clients with strategies for discussing their addiction with family and friends or help recovering addicts rebuild professional relationships in an effort to re-establish their careers. As a substance abuse counselor, you could show people how to overcome their dependencies on alcohol or drugs by providing expert care, guidance and support. This, by extension, can improve their physical and emotional well-being, their psychological functioning and their relationships with loved ones. UMass Global is a fully accredited, private, nonprofit university designed for working adults seeking to improve their careers through education.

This task includes planning, coordination, and delegation of responsibilities; determining appropriate staff assignments; and helping to define administrative polcies and procedures. Though group therapists work in the field of mental health, they generally have little training in the specifics of substance abuse treatment. This situation will have to change if the fields of substance abuse treatment and mental health are to integrate their activities. For the therapist in training, the experience of being in a group is particularly important for both the development of skills and the level of comfort with one’s developing leadership style. NABSW offers national and international education conferences, as well as projects and mentoring programs to support the work of African-American social workers.

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Learners gain integrative communication skills that enable them to convey complex technical information to clients and their families, government officials, and healthcare professionals. Substance abuse and addiction https://ecosoberhouse.com/ counselors treat individuals with drug and alcohol addictions. This career field is one of the most challenging mental health fields and requires a person with compassion, understanding and empathy.

Bureau of Labor Statistics , numerous counseling career opportunities are available for substance use disorder counselors. Treating substance use disorders is a profession that requires specialized training and work experience. In some states, you can work as a substance abuse counselor, sometimes called a technician, trainee, or assistant, with a high school diploma if you are working under the direct supervision of a licensed counselor. However, it is more common for states to require licensure based on at least some formal training in alcohol and drug counseling, be that a certificate or degree program. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of substance abuse counselor degree programs that can help you meet these requirements. Although careers with an addiction and recovery degree may not be the most lucrative, the people who take on these roles typically do so for the opportunity to help others.

What Do Careers in the Addiction Recovery Industry Entail?

While working toward this degree, it is usually recommended that you take several courses on substance abuse and recovery. To take the first step on your path to a career in substance abuse counseling, visit National University’s undergraduate certificate in alcohol and drug abuse counseling page for more information about courses and requirements. The educational path to substance abuse counseling becoming a substance abuse counselor is pretty straightforward. To receive certification, you will need education and supervised on-the-job, practicum . To become a licensed counselor, graduate-level education and many hours of work experience are required. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for a substance abuse counselor in 2017 was $43,300.