How Do I Become a Substance Abuse Counselor in North Carolina?

Question by Penelope: How do I become a Substance Abuse Counselor in North Carolina?
I have my Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology, but I am very interested in a career change. My brother died a year ago from a drug overdose and even before he died, I was considering changing professions to become an addiction/substance abuse counselor. I can’t find any helpful advice on the internet given my situation. Do I need to start from scratch or does having a Masters Degree help me? Do I just need a certification, or do I need a second Masters Degree? What are my options? If I could participate in online courses, that would be the most ideal for me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Best answer:

Answer by OldChair
If you already have a Master’s, a drug and alcohol certification would be sufficient in most cases and then you pursue that to the the highest level. This process can be very time consuming as you will see in the link there is 6000 hours of experience involved to get certified by your state.

This is, in my opinion, always the best way to go if you want to work in substance abuse, specifically. It gives you the proper tools to perform the work and is more attractive to employers of this field because you don’t go get certified in D/A unless you want to do the work.

Do some furthered research because every state is different. Things you want to search are phrases like “drug and alcohol certification north carolina” “CSAC north carolina” etc.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

 


 

Substance Abuse Treatment, New Jersey, for Drug Addiction – http://www.drugrehabvideo.com Are you suffering and need help with substance abuse treatment outside of New Jersey? Start your recovery now and get positive …

 

Alcohol and drugs: Clogging the wheels of justice

Filed under: drug addiction help substance abuse

… the wheels of justice in Somerset County. The problem is so far-reaching economically and socially that detailed analysis of the effect drugs and alcohol abuse on our criminal justice system is almost impossible, according to county officials …
Read more on Daily American Online

 

Letter: Trudeau pot comments undermine substance abuse efforts

Filed under: drug addiction help substance abuse

… a Canadian-registered charity dedicated to the elimination of youth substance abuse. Our spokesperson is Alvin Powell who, since recovering from the drug addiction that cost him his NFL career and nearly killed him, has dedicated his life to …
Read more on Montreal Gazette

 

When an addict is a star, not a junkie

Filed under: drug addiction help substance abuse

People were unsettled because, as we've been told, drug addicts are losers. Cory was a star, not a junkie. His use of heroin was at odds … Many of us who work in the community sector believe that problematic drug use is associated with trauma and has …
Read more on WA today