Addiction Counseling Cert?

Hi I already have a BA in Psych, and looking for an online/virtual certificate in addiction studies counselor Thanks! im in Florida

 

Welcome to Degree Info. This might fit your requirements: University of North Carolina Online: Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling - Graduate Certificate program

 

That certificate program described above at UNC may indeed give you the hours of instruction that you need. As a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, myself, I can tell you that you will also need a certain no. of hours of addiction counseling experience in order to obtain state certification or licensure. I would recommend that you explore the requirements for certification or licensure for the state where you plan to practice. You'll likely find a list of all the courses that are required. Good luck.

Tom

 

If these courses are acceptable for what you want to use them for, City Vision College (DETC accredited) offers programs in addictions counseling, $150/credit:

City Vision College | Addiction Counselor Training Program | Online Courses in Urban Ministry, Missions, CFRE Fund Raising, Accounting, Nonprofit Management and Counseling

It says it's approved by NAADAC, maybe PatsFan could speak into whether that's important/valuable or not. According to NAADAC, the requirements for Florida are:

ATTC - Certification Info

I really don't know much about City Vision, other than that they are a Christian school and recently attained their DETC accreditation.

 

Hi. Check out the addictions counseling programs at Aspen University. Are you seeking certification in Florida? If so, what level? Send me a private message on this board, if you would like to chat.

 

thank you!

thanks for all the responses to my query and the wealth of leads - I'll let you know what I find or rather what I end up pursuing!

 

We're glad you have found some resources that you can investigate. Please keep us informed about what you find out. I expect that you will get some more replies on this thread, as well.

 

How much does it cost?

UNC

Resident
Non-Resident
Undergraduate
$113.00/per semester hr* Resident
$521/per semester hr* -Non-Resident
Graduate (Except MBA/MSA Courses)
$169.00/per semester hr*
$693.00/per semester hr*
MBA/MSA Courses
$269.00/per semester hr*
$793.00/per semester hr*
Military Rates
For information regarding military tuition click here.
*includes $15.00 per semester hour in required fees.

 

Take a peek at what the University of Hawaii is offering

University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu :: Distance Learning

 

University of South Dakota has several options online:

Online Certificates in Alcohol & Drug Studies - USD

•Bachelor of Science in Alcohol & Drug Studies
•Undergraduate Certificate in Alcohol & Drug Studies
•Graduate Certificate in Alcohol & Drug Studies


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Grand Canyon offers both the bachelor's and master's
Nursing | Online University Programs at GCU

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I believe Capella also has a couple of distance options

 

Be sure to check out the certification / licensure requirements in your state; the requirements do vary from state to state. Also, look for educational programs in which the instructors have substance abuse counseling credentials and experience. It is very common for schools to have social workers or marriage and family counselors as instructors who are not trained in substance abuse interventions; substance abuse counseling is a separate expertise from other mental health domains.

 

Are you aware of how little drug and alcohol counselors earn? If I were you I would carefully check out the job prospects.

 

I agree. A number of years ago when I was preparing for such certification I took an alcohol counseling course at a local community college. The instructor was a PhD psychologist with no substance abuse experience. The lectures often derailed so he could whine about his book no longer being in print.

 

While it is true that the pay at the beginning is not great, you can earn a decent living as an alcohol and other drug (AOD) counselor if you stay with the field and get more experience past your internship. Most social workers and other counselors just don't have the training or intestinal fortitude to deal with chemical dependency issues day in and day out. Dealing with addicts is viewed as "icky" and does not meet many of the counselors' own needs to be understood and make a clear difference in people's lives. And perhaps psychologists want to work with affluent clients with persistent, yet harmless phobias...? Well, perhaps that isn't completely true, but there is an old saying in counseling, "The best kind of therapy is where two people get better and one of them gets paid."

I think of AOD counseling as sort of like being a lifeguard. It is a life-saving business with many applications in your personal and professional life. Generally, lifeguards don't make very much money on average either, but then there is no way to be fully compensated for saving a life anyway.

 

Speaking from the experience of close friends and family members: The best addiction counselors are recovering addicts. Those who are coming at addiction without having experienced it tend to have difficulty relating to their patients, and burn out quickly.

 

I'm not sure where you got that information, but I know plenty of substance abuse therapists like myself who are not recovering addicts. I have worked with addicts for 28 years.

 

I understand this position, but in my experience it is not correct.

All addicts (chemical dependents or other process addicts) go (back and forth) through stages of change (cf. Prochaska and DiClemente) at various rates up the "staircase to recovery" as I call it...

Counselors who are recovering addicts seem to be better at empathy at the expense of holding clients accountable. On the other hand, counselors who are not recovering addicts seem to be better at modeling a healthy drug free lifestyle and concomitant attitudes at the expense of being gullible toward client stories.

It all depends on the client's background and needs as to what type of counselor is best suited to move them to the next stage of change.

One thing that all good AOD counselors share is an endless well of love for people and an ability to wade through piles of steaming, odorous client confabulation about their own circumstances.

 

Another point... clients who are in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages of change don't really even see themselves as "addicts"; instead, they see themselves as "normal" because they haven't admitted their addiction. Hence, a counselor who is not in recovery might be able to work more effectively with these clients. Still, it all depends on the client's needs and referrals can be made if the counselor / client fit is not working. In truth, you really need a diversified treatment team, with counselors of different training and recovery backgrounds, to meet client needs.

Be sure to check out the addictions counseling programs at Aspen University...

 

You make some good points, Dave. It is a very rewarding population to work with, but it's not for everyone.

 

True, but if we don't help them, who will...? It reminds me a lot of being a lifeguard on beach with lots of warning signs that nobody seems to read; and then the drowning swimmer mostly fights you as try to help them keep from drowning.