Substance Abuse Counseling Programs

Substance abuse counseling is a psychology subspecialty that addressed the problems of people who have problems with alcohol and drugs. At times, substance abuse counselors will also work with family members of the addicted client, as they are also affected by the addiction. Personal counseling, family counseling, group therapy and outreach educational efforts are often a part of this specialty.

Walden University

Featured Programs:
BS in Psychology - Graduate School Prep

Southern New Hampshire University

Featured Programs:
BA in Psychology/Child & Adolescent Development (Online)

Substance abuse counselors have a wide range of possible employment opportunities. These professionals aid close to 20 million Americans each year in half-way houses, hospitals and homeless shelters across the United States. In addition to these locations, substance abuse counselors are often called upon to help individual or group patients in therapy sessions.

The profession also lends support to jails and prisons, drug and alcohol treatment centers, social welfare agencies, and state or community departments. Patients who suffer from substance abuse problems are usually subject to a variety of behavioral disorders. For this reason, the profession is also referred to as behavioral disorder counseling.

Useful Substance Abuse Counseling Resources

• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)
• Occupational Outlook Handbook for Counselors (BLS)

Capella University

Featured Programs:
MS in General Psychology (Online)
MS in Child and Adolescent Development

Post University

Featured Programs:
BA in Psychology (Online)

Substance Abuse Counselors and Youth

Perhaps one of the most rewarding, but also one of the most challenging, roles that substance abuse counselors will face during their careers is that of helping youth. Teenagers and young adults account for a quickly growing population of those affected by substance abuse. In fact, many secondary schools and colleges have enlisted help from the profession to deal with the growing problems.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the job as it pertains to young people is working for prevention. Many substance abuse counselors initiate programs to educate both children and their parents before early exposure to harmful substances finds a way into the child's life.

Kaplan University

Featured Programs:
BS Psychology (Online)

Northcentral University

Featured Programs:
MA in Health Psychology (Online)

Substance Abuse Counselor Job Data

According to data released by PayScale in November 2010, professionals in this industry earned between $27,603 and $38,964 per year. The data was taken from a mixed assortment of 1,261 professionals within the substance abuse counseling profession. Those with a Bachelor of Science or Master's Degree typically earned more, sometimes nearly double what a professional with a Bachelor of Arts on the low end of the pay scale would earn. Of the focus group, 66 percent of workers were women and 34 percent were men. The five most popular areas of specialization were as follows:

• Substance Abuse Prevention
• Counseling
• Addiction Recovery
• Rehabilitation
• Health Care Services

Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Featured Programs:
MA in Applied Forensic Psychology (Online)

Substance Abuse Counselor Education

While professionals from all educational sectors are encouraged to help out in the industry, a master's degree is essential to become licensed and start your own substance abuse counseling practice in most states. You will want to target one of the following three degrees: Master of Science, Master of Arts, or Master of Social Work. You can specialize during post-graduate work or attain certification following the program. Each state may have its own education and certification requirements, so make sure that you check with an accredited educational institution in your state before proceeding.

You may also be interested in our guides to other counseling specialties, including:

• Mental Health Counseling
• Rehabilitation Counseling
• School Counseling
• Marriage and Family Counseling
• Career Counseling
• Pastoral Counseling
• Guidance Counseling
• Online Counseling Degrees
• Counseling Masters Degrees
• Counseling Doctorate Degrees
• Our Counseling Career Guide
• Counseling Psychology Degrees