Alcohol Counselors Degree Programs and Licensure

Alcohol counselors help people to stop abusing alcohol and cope with the problems their addictions can cause. These professionals may also be called drug and alcohol, mental health, substance abuse or behavioral disorder counselors. Their mail goal is to create recovery programs for clients and help them learn healthy behaviors. Sometimes sessions include family members of a person who suffers from alcoholism. Alcohol counselors are trained to recognize the physical and social effects of alcohol addiction.

Education Programs

Alcohol Counselor

Alcohol Counselor

If you want to become an alcoholism counselor, you will need to complete a master’s degree in counseling. It takes up to 3 years of post undergraduate work. After that you’ll need to pass a state licensing exam in order to be a certified alcoholism counselor. Courses in a master’s degree program in counseling include individual appraisal, group counseling procedures, counseling ethics, foundations of mental health counseling, multicultural counseling, and psychopharmacology.

Licensure

The District of Columbia and 49 states require counselors who work outside of a school setting to be licensed. Specific education and training requirements differ by state and also vary by counseling specialty and work setting. Applicants should determine what’s needed to qualify as a licensed counselor for drug and alcohol counseling in their state. If you want to become licensed, you should complete a minimal hours of practice and pass an exam.

Additional Certification

Alcohol counselors may be certified through a number of organizations. These are the National Board for Certified Counselors and the National Association of Social Workers. Both groups offer credentials in specialty areas that include alcohol addiction. Although certification is voluntary, it may improve a counselor’s job prospects.

Continuing Education

Nowadays many states and organizations require counselors to complete continuing education to renew their licenses or certification. You may continue education in the form of workshops, graduate classes or individual studies. Sometimes counselors choose to earn a doctorate to advance in their profession or to become university teachers, researchers, supervisors or advanced clinicians.

Schools with Programs in Alcohol Counseling

Kaplan University

Online Programs:

Master Degree

Bachelor Degree

Capella University

Online Programs :

Doctorate Degrees

  • PhD – Counseling Studies

Master DegreePrograms

Bachelor Degree

  • BS – General Psychology

Grand Canyon University

Degree Programs:

Master

Bachelor Degree

Argosy University

Programs:

Doctorate

Master’s Degrees

  • MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • MA in Mental Health Counseling
  • MA in Clinical Psychology/Marriage & Family Therapy

Bachelor Programs

Featured Online Programs

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