The attitude and commitment it takes to be a substance abuse counselor is something you have to bring with you. The knowledge and expertise to go with it can all be taught.
SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, lays out the standard requirements in the form of a technical assistance publication, TAP 21: Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice. There are 123 of those competencies. Qualified substance abuse counselors master all of them.
Everything from understanding addictions to making referrals to engaging in appropriate self-care is covered. But as you go through them, you’ll be struck by how many of them are essentially about being a caring, communicative, informed human being.
Character and Soft-Skills are the Foundational Qualifications of Any Substance Abuse Counselor
Substance abuse counseling is a high-touch profession. Counselors absolutely need strong skills in:
- Interpersonal communication, empathy, and relationship-building
- Ethics and professional conduct
- Cultural competency and cultural humility
- Collaboration and organizational development
- Crisis intervention and analytical thinking
These are common kinds of skills across various human services fields from social work to marriage counseling. But for dedicated substance abuse counselors, they come with an extra shot of training to back up their commitment with evidence-based solutions to addiction.
These more qualitative characteristics represent the starting point for what it takes to become a substance use disorder (SUD) counselor. And the reality is, most of these qualities and propensities come naturally to anybody drawn to the field. With them, almost anybody can begin building toward the qualifications required to become a substance abuse counselor.
Education and Supervised Experience are Always Part of the Requirements for Substance Abuse Counselors
While people coming into the field have natural tendencies toward these all-important soft-skills, most people need to polish them up and perfect them for substance abuse counseling roles. They also only work if you have a high level of professional knowledge of psychology, physiology, and the chemistry of addictive substances.
That’s why some level of formal education goes into becoming a substance abuse counselor in every state.
And while specific degree requirements can differ considerably from state to state, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), defines certified alcohol & drug counselors as being in a role that requires at least a bachelor’s degree.
For some certification levels in some states, it’s possible to satisfy the requirements with only a certificate or diploma in substance abuse counseling. But the most comprehensive education in substance abuse counseling always comes through a college degree.
These programs are found in every state, with schools developing the curriculum at every level to align with the certification and licensing standards in the state.
These programs lay the groundwork for the multidisciplinary, evidence-based care that SUD counselors provide. The training includes:
- The Psychological and Physiological Bases of Addiction
- Social Systems in Treating Substance Abuse
- Individual and Group Therapy Techniques
- Case Management
- Ethics and Professional Standards in Substance Abuse Treatment
Although it makes sense in a lot of cases to get started in an entry-level substance abuse counselor role by meeting your state’s minimum set of qualifications, most professionals end up going above and beyond as they progress in their careers to sharpen their skills for the tough work of addiction treatment.
Built right into the curriculum of college degree programs in addiction counseling are hands-on field placements that put in active substance use disorder treatment facilities. Practicum classes and internships are standard in these degrees, and they all go in to make sure students are qualified for the job.
Hands-on Experience in Counseling Polishes Substance Use Disorder Counseling Expertise
The experiences that come with your formal education are just the tip of the iceberg. Substance abuse counseling skills are also shaped by many more hours of supervised experience.
Depending on the state and the level of qualification required for different licenses, this can vary wildly, running anywhere between 250 hours and 5 years on the job.
But the standard on-the-job supervised experience requirement for certified substance abuse counselors is right around 2000 hours, which works out to about one year of full-time work.
All of it involves being directly engaged with actual substance use disorder patients. During this time, the theory you are taught in the classroom is molded into effective clinical skills in assessment, individual and group talk therapy, and other forms of treatment.
It’s all guided by senior clinical supervisors who offer mentorship and ongoing evaluation along the way. One of the key aspects of earning your stripes as a professional in the field is this extended process of apprenticeship.
Different Requirements for Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals at Every Level
While every state defines substance abuse counselor license levels slightly differently, and has some variation of requirements that are set at the state level, SAMHSA has categorized them all into a set of six basic levels that cover all potential roles in addiction counseling.
Not every state has a role at each level, and some may define practice authority and responsibilities slightly differently from the SAMHSA model.
- Associate Substance Use Disorder Counselor
Associates are often trainees or otherwise work as assistants, providing carefully supervised support under full substance abuse counselors.
- Substance Use Disorder Counselor
The first big goal for anybody new to the field is graduating up to the rank of certified substance abuse counselor. This is where the ability to perform actual counseling services begins. This is a roll that involves assessment, treatment, and coordinating with other professionals.
- Clinical Substance Use Disorder Counselor
Clinical substance abuse counselors have the advanced expertise in diagnosis and treatment planning that comes with a graduate level education and lot of experience. They are qualified to provide full psychotherapeutic counseling and other treatment, although still with general supervision by a high-level counselor.
- Independent Clinical Substance Use Disorder Treatment Counselor/Supervisor
At the highest level, independent clinical counselors require no outside supervision. They frequently are the supervision, using their years of experience and master’s-level education to assess and direct treatment performed by other counselors.
Many patients struggling with substance use disorder don’t have a strong sense of which of these licensed or certified roles their own counselor fills, and often times it really doesn’t matter to them. In the eyes of the patient, they are all caring professionals with a critical role to play in treatment and recovery.
Requirements Differ in Other Psychology Professions that Routinely Provide Addiction Counseling
Not all substance abuse treatment professionals are substance abuse counselors by trade.
In professional terms, a substance abuse counselor is defined by state practice and licensing laws. Most of these restrict the specific description to people who have earned the right license or board certification, proving they have the required qualifications.
But addictions are common in American life. And they are often tangled up with other social and human services issues like:
- Physical disabilities and chronic ailments
- Mental health disorders
- Homelessness
- Criminal behavior
- Indigence
- Domestic violence
It’s also the case that addiction treatment runs right down the alley of traditional psychotherapeutic and behavioral therapies that come from the fields of psychology and counseling more generally.
So it’s inevitable that addiction treatment is also a part of the practice of professionals like:
- Mental health counselors
- Psychologists
- Marriage and family therapists
- Social workers
- Healthcare professionals
In some states, licensed professionals in these various areas can offer SUD treatment under their existing license qualifications. In others, they may have to obtain a standard substance abuse counselor credential. And in others still, they may be able to get an endorsement to treat addiction with a small amount of additional coursework on top of their regular qualifications.
To the general public, all of these professionals are substance abuse counselors, however they ended up qualifying for the job.
The Kind of Care and Support Substance Abuse Counselors Offer Makes It a Role that Requires Flexibility
What exactly is the care and support that substance abuse counselors have to offer?
In a sense, a substance abuse counselor is something slightly different to every single patient they treat. By training and philosophy, SUD counselors look at the specific circumstances, addictions, supports, and co-occuring disorders experienced by every individual client.
Their treatment plans revolve around those unique combinations of strengths and weaknesses. For one client, they may charge in with a motivational interview laying out the damage that substance use is doing in their lives; for another, they may simply sit and listen to challenges that no one else has had the patience to hear. Persistence and flexibility are the keys.
This is also required at a professional level too. What’s required of a substance abuse counselor will be defined in every single state by their own laws and regulations. The scope, practice authority, and licensing requirements to become a substance abuse counselor are similar on many levels, but what defines a substance abuse counselor from state to state is also unique.
All of this is why you will often see the role of substance abuse counselors described as multidisciplinary. You have to be able to roll with the changing demands as the field evolves. And that takes a good heart, a commitment to continual learning, and a lot of flexibility and adaptation along the way.