In many ways, Utah seems to have weathered America’s opioid epidemic better than most states. In 1999, the CDC reported that Utah had the fifth-highest overdose mortality rate in the country at 10.6 out of every 100,000 people.
But over the next 20 years, overdose rates across America spiked thanks to the availability of prescription opioids and the introduction of fentanyl. In West Virginia, the overdose rate peaked at 90. Utah’s rate rose, too, but only to the very low 20s.
However, Utah’s traditionally low overdose rate isn’t a reason to put recovery services on the backburner. People from all walks of life from all across the state still struggle with addiction. And every one of them deserves hope.
If providing that hope is your calling, here’s what you need to know about becoming a substance abuse counselor in Utah, potential employers across the state, and some schools that can help you prepare for a rewarding career.
Steps to Becoming Certified as a Substance Abuse Counselor in Utah
To become a licensed substance abuse counselor in Utah, you’ll have to go through the Utah Department of Commerce’s Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL). The DOPL is a government agency that enforces licensing laws for many types of professionals from building inspectors to veterinarians.
The DPOL has five main levels of substance use disorder credentials:
- Certified Substance Use Disorder Counselor (CSUDC or Certified SUDC).
- Licensed Substance Use Disorder Counselor (SUDC or LSUDC).
- Certified Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor (CASUDC or Certified ASUDC).
- Licensed Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor (ASUDC or LASUDC).
- Master Addiction Counselor (MAC).
In this guide, we’ll focus on becoming a Licensed Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor, also known as an ASUDC. In addition to planning treatment and providing counseling, ASUDCs are licensed to treat mental health disorders once a patient has been diagnosed by a mental health professional.
While earning this advanced license takes a little more work than the entry-level one, as an ASUDC, you can be positioned to pivot into more specialized, high-level roles later in your career.
Licensed vs. Certified: What’s the Difference?
Before we get into how to become an ASUDC in Utah, it’s important to understand the difference between a Licensed ASUDC and a Certified ASUDC.
In short, there are two main differences: supervision and experience.
Certified ASUDCs must work under the direct supervision of a qualified mental health therapist trained in substance use disorders. This is because they haven’t gained enough experience hours to earn a full license.
On the other hand, Licensed ASUDCs can work under general supervision because they’ve earned enough experience hours for a full license. This means they typically have a little more freedom and autonomy during the counseling process. They’re also qualified to supervise counseling interns.
1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Fulfill Other Education Requirements
2. Register as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor
3. Complete 500 Hours of Supervised Experience
4. Pass a Standardized Substance Use Disorder Counselor Exam
5. Submit Your ASUDC Application
Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Fulfill Other Education Requirements
The minimum degree required to become an ASUDC in Utah is a bachelor’s degree. According to the DOPL, you can qualify with a degree in:
- Substance use disorders.
- Addiction counseling.
- Psychology.
- Mental health counseling.
- Marriage and family counseling.
No matter which option you choose, you’ll need to take one class on human development across the lifespan and one general psychology class. You’ll also need to complete 2 hours of suicide prevention training before starting the next step. In total, the DOPL says you should complete 300 education hours before applying for your license.
Practicum Hours
As you earn your bachelor’s degree, you won’t just be learning about counseling theories in class. You’ll also get the chance to hone your new skills during a hands-on practicum experience. According to the DOPL, your practicum should be at least 350 hours.
During your practicum, you’ll help experienced counselors make treatment plans, assess clients, and guide people on their journeys to recovery. However, you won’t be responsible for finding a practicum site on your own. Faculty fieldwork coordinators at your school will help you find the right one for your goals.
Step 2: Register as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor
One of the most important parts of becoming a substance abuse counselor in Utah is earning supervised experience hours. However, before you do that, you’ll need to register as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor, also known as an SUDC.
The requirements for becoming an SUDC in Utah are:
- Earning an associate degree or higher.
- Completing 200 hours of substance abuse education.
- Completing a 200-hour practicum.
- Taking courses on general psychology, human development, and suicide prevention.
Fortunately, you’ll likely meet these requirements after earning your bachelor’s. All you’ll need to do is submit an SUDC application, $85 fee, and all required supporting documents to the DOPL.
Step 3: Complete 500 Hours of Supervised Experience
Once you become an SUDC, you’ll be ready to earn 500 supervised experience hours. During this time, you’ll work directly under someone who’s been an ASUDC for at least two years or a mental health professional with substance use disorder training.
Where To Complete Supervision Hours
According to DOPL regulations, you can complete your supervision hours at a:
- Hospital.
- School.
- Nonprofit agency.
- Government agency.
- Mental health organization.
For your hours to count, the DPOL says you should be a paid employee. This means that volunteer work likely won’t count. Fortunately, though,, you can start earning hours while you earn your degree.
What You’ll Do To Earn Hours
As you earn your experience hours, you’ll basically do everything a full-fledged ASUDC does. However, you’ll be under the direct supervision of your supervisor. While this doesn’t mean your supervisor will always be in the room with you, the DOPL says they should always be available for you to consult.
Some of the things you might do during your supervised work experience include:
- Screening clients and determining what level of caste they need.
- Treatment planning and helping clients come up with long- and short-term goals.
- Counseling and educating individuals, groups, and families.
- Performing crisis intervention when needed.
- Collaborating with other counselors and mental health professionals.
Additionally, for every 40 hours of client care you provide, you’ll need to meet with your supervisor face-to-face for one hour or be under their direct supervision for one hour. This is so they can answer any questions and help you decide what skills you need to work on.
Step 4: Pass a Standardized Substance Use Disorder Counselor Exam
The DOPL doesn’t administer its own licensing exam. Instead, you can take one of three national exams. You can register for all three through the Association of Utah Substance Abuse Professionals (AUSAP), an organization that provides counselor training and advocates for equitable counseling policies.
While each exam is similar, there are some key differences between them. You can find prep materials through the AUSAP.
Option 1: The National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors’s (NAADAC) National Certification Exam Level II
The NAADAC’s National Certification Exam Level II is made up of 150 multiple choice questions. You’ll have three hours to complete it. To pass, you’ll need to get a 67% or 100 questions correct.
The questions will test your knowledge of nine areas:
- Admissions including intake, screening, and client orientation.
- Clinical assessment.
- Treatment planning.
- Individual, family, and group counseling including client education and crisis intervention.
- Documentation.
- Case management.
- Continuing care and discharge planning.
- Legal and ethical responsibilities including professional development
- Psychopharmacology and physiology.
While you can take this exam at an approved testing location in St. George, Orem, Logan, or Salt Lake City, you can also take it at home under the supervision of an online proctor. The fee is $210 for AUSAP members and $225 for non-members.
Option 2: The NAADAC’s Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) Exam
In most ways, the MAC Exam is similar to the Level II Exam. It’s made up of 150 multiple choice questions, takes three hours to complete, and covers the same nine areas. However, the questions may be a bit more in-depth. Also, to pass this exam, you’ll need to answer 75% or 112 questions correctly.
Because the MAC Exam is also administered by the NAADAC, the same scheduling rules and fees apply. If you’re planning on pursuing more advanced counseling certifications later, taking the MAC exam may be a good way to get a head start.
Option 3: The International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium’s (IC&RC) Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) Exam
This exam is also made up of 150 multiple questions and has a three-hour time limit. However, scores are determined on an 800-point scale. 500 is a passing score.
Additionally, while the questions on this exam may be similar to the other exams, they’re organized a bit differently. The AADC exam covers:
- Screening, assessment, and client engagement.
- Treatment Planning, referrals, and professional collaboration.
- Counseling and client education.
- Ethical and professional responsibilities.
The IC&RC says this exam also includes many questions about co-occurring disorders. Unfortunately, this exam can’t be taken at home so you’ll need to schedule an exam at an approved location in Lindon, Salt Lake City, Taylorsville, or St. George. The fee is $210 for AUSAP members and $225 for non-members.
Step 5: Submit Your ASUDC Application
Once you’ve met all previous requirements, you’re ready to submit your final application. Fortunately, the application itself is pretty straightforward. Like the SUDC application, the ASUDC application requires an $85 fee.
On the ASUDC application, you’ll be asked to provide:
- Personal information including any criminal charges or disciplinary actions taken against you.
- Details about your past employment.
- Official college transcripts.
- Certificates of completion for any additional training you’ve completed.
- Details about your supervised training experience including information about your supervisor.
- Your exam score if it hasn’t already been submitted to the DOPL.
The DOPL doesn’t say how long it takes to process applications. But according to their schedule, their boards and committees meet multiple times a month.
A Quick Note About the Licensure Process
While the previous steps provide a general guide for becoming an ASUDC in Utah, the process may not be the same for everyone. Some applicants become Certified ASUDCs or ASUDC Interns before earning their full licenses. Similarly, you might decide to be an SUDC for a longer period of time before pursuing your license.
These choices might determine when you take your licensing exam and when you complete your supervised experience hours. But whichever path you choose, your instructors, supervisors, and more experienced colleagues can help you decide which path is right for you.
With a Master’s Degree and More Experience Comes Advanced Certification Options
In 2024, Utah revised many of its laws about behavioral health professional licensing. One of the most important changes was the addition of a new advanced license: the Master Addiction Counselor or MAC license. After gaining experience as an ASUDC, earning a master’s degree, and undergoing clinical training, you can upgrade your license to an MAC.
As an MAC, you’ll be licensed to provide advanced psychotherapeutic treatment to people battling mental health disorders. Being able to do that as a substance use disorder counselor means you can help more people with more complex issues.
Substance Abuse Counselor Jobs in Salt Lake City, Provo, and Throughout Utah
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Salt Lake City is home to a bigger network of counselors than anywhere else in Utah making it a great place to start your own job hunt. Salt Lake City is home to large nonprofits such as Odyssey House that offer low- and no-cost treatment as well as First Step House which has multiple locations in Utah.
The Provo-Orem Metro is another great place to look for substance use disorder counselor jobs in Utah. For example, you may want to explore recovery centers like Ardu Recovery New Roads, both of which provide residential, outpatient, and dual diagnosis services.
For more substance abuse counselor job opportunities in Utah, you may want to investigate:
- Steps Recovery: a provider with locations in Payson, St. George, Orem, and Murray.
- The Utah Office of Substance Use and Mental Health: a government-run human services agency that runs a crisis line and partners with recovery centers across the state.
- Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness: a statewide network of recovery professionals and advocates with locations in Salt Lake City, Ogden, St. George, Price, and Moab.
- Wasatch Behavioral Health: a community-oriented mental health center with locations in Provo and Heber that’s been open since 1976.
Substance Abuse Counselor Salary in Salt Lake City, Provo, and Throughout Utah
As of May 2023, the BLS reports that the median salary for substance abuse counselors in Utah is $62,870. New counselors often make closer to $32,820 while their more experienced colleagues make upwards of $106,390.
- Salt Lake City. The BLS reports that counselors in Salt Lake City make a median wage of $63,430 while entry-level professionals typically make around $35,130 as of May 2023. The highest-paid counselors in the area often make about $106,400.
- Provo. In the Provo-Orem Metro, the BLS says substance use disorder counselors make a median salary of $59,070 as of May 2023. Early-career counselors often make about $30,120 while more experienced counselors make as much as $103,520.
Substance Abuse Counselor Degree Options in Utah
Because the DOPL accepts a wide range of bachelor’s degrees, you’ll have plenty of options when it comes time to choose a program. For instance, Utah Valley University in Orem offers an ASUDC certificate program designed specifically for students seeking licensure.
The University of Utah in Salt Lake City also offers an ASUDC program through its College of Social Work. This program is available online and on-campus.
You may also want to consider Utah State University’s social work program. While not solely focused on substance use disorders, this program gives students the chance to do their practicums at public substance use disorder treatment agencies. Students who agree to work at a public agency for a year after graduation can get $5,000 of funding during their senior year.
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
Department of Counseling
Accreditation: NWCCU
Online w/ limited residency
Master's Degrees
- MS in Addictions Counseling
Graduate Certificates
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Addictions Counseling
University of Utah
College of Social Work
Accreditation: NWCCU
Campus, Online
Undergraduate Certificates
- Substance Use Disorder Counselor Certificate
- Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor Certificate
Utah Valley University
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Behavioral Science
Accreditation: NWCCU
Campus, Online
Undergraduate Certificates
- Certificate of Proficiency-Substance Use Disorder Counseling
- Certificate of Proficiency-Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counseling
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2024.