Additional Information
You can get a master's degree in addictions counseling. Voluntary certification
by the National Board for Certified Counselors is also available. This is
a national certification -- many states require additional credentials.
Linda Kaplan works with the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug
Abuse Counselors. To become certified in most states, she says, aspiring professionals
need specific training in alcohol and drug counseling for a minimum of 270
hours. They also need at least three years of supervised experience and must
pass both written and oral exams.
"More and more states are moving to licensing alcohol and drug counselors,"
she says. "This is a shift from the voluntary or even state-mandated certification.
"Many states are setting a minimum requirement of at least a bachelor's
degree. And to be licensed, many people may need to have a master's degree."
Learn about treatment programs, suggests Robert Chapman, a counselor and
professor at LaSalle University in Philadelphia. "Go to an open meeting of
12-step programs -- many meetings of 12-step programs," he says.
"You can read and study and learn all about addictions, but there's something
about listening to recovering people talk about life that provides a perspective
that can't be captured in books, film or texts.
"Read the narratives of recovering people and all the literature published
by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and all the other 'blank anonymous'
groups."
Getting a good education is a necessity, says counselor Bonnie Kauder of
New York City. "It's very important to further your education. It's not enough
to be in recovery yourself, or have a family member or someone you know in
recovery or still suffering from an addiction problem."
Kauder suggests classes in human behavior, human development, interviewing
and assessment skills, in addition to listening skills and learning how drugs
and alcohol affect the body.