3 Tips for Launching a Career in Substance Abuse Counseling

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From working mothers to military veterans, there are countless people who suffer from life-altering addictions to drugs and alcohol. For this reason alone, the need for quality, skilled, and educated substance abuse counselors is great. These mental health professionals are highly trained in the areas of behavioral development, environmental psychology, and risk factors for addiction, and the majority of them possess a master’s degree in their field. For people who desire to help others overcome their debilitating dependencies on alcohol, pharmaceutics, and other illicit drugs, the top tips for their career success are reviewed below.

1. Get Your Master’s Degree

People who are interested in acquiring employment as substance abuse counselors should obtain a master’s-level degree in their field from an accredited college or university. Programs for Master’s in Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees take one to two years to complete, and they are offered to individuals who possess at least a bachelor’s degree, a minimum GPA of 3.0, some experience in their field of study, and a passing score on the Graduate Record Exam. For students’ convenience, many accredited, quality institutions also offer online programs for this degree. Typical course components of any Master’s in Substance Abuse Counseling Degree program entail: Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Counseling Theories in Addictions and Rehabilitation, and Group Counseling for Addictive Behavior. In addition, internships and externships are also included in programs for this degree, and they provide students with valuable, rewarding, hands-on experience in the field of mental health. There are many professional development resources available online, including this Substance Abuse Counselor Resource Guide. Professionally, individuals who possess Master’s in Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees from accredited schools are rewarded with the most abundant opportunities as substance abuse counselors in hospitals, private clinics, mental health centers, rehabilitation centers, correctional facilities, and military institutions.

2. Get Your Credentials

After completing and acquiring a Master’s in Substance Abuse Counseling Degree, individuals should pursue credentialing through the National Board for Certified Counselors. This credentialing agency offers a Master Addictions Counselor credential to applicants who possess a master’s degree in substance abuse or mental health counseling and a satisfactory score on the Examination for Master Addictions Counselor test. The Master Addictions Counselor credential is highly desirable and selective, and roughly 700 mental health counselors possess it in the United States. In addition, it is highly desirable for individuals to obtain memberships with the many reputable, distinguished associations that support and facilitate growth in the field of mental health. Those associations comprise: the Mental Health Association, the American Mental Health Counselors Association, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, and many local organizations.

3. Pursue Grant and Award Opportunities

Once individuals have acquired employment as substance abuse counselors, there are many grant and award opportunities that they should pursue. There are numerous grants and awards that are funded through the Office of Extramural Research of the National Institutes of Health, and they provide mental health professionals with exceptional, cost-free opportunities to receive funds for educational advancement, research, and development purposes. Those grants and awards include the following: the National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant Program, the National Institutes of Health Small Grant Program, the National Institutes of Health Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings Fund, the National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Award, the National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award, and the Research Project Cooperative Agreement. Aside from providing substance abuses counselors with cost-free opportunities to increase their knowledge in the field of mental health, grants and awards that are offered through the National Institutes of Health also provide those professionals with enhanced resumes and reputations in their field.