How to Become a Substance Abuse Counselor in South Carolina

Created by SubstanceAbuseCounselor.org Contributing Writer

The debilitating, if not deadly, effects of addiction have become a part of life for far too many of us here in South Carolina. If it hasn’t affected you and your family directly, it’s likely you know someone who has seen the gritty reality of it up close and personal.

In 2021 alone, South Carolina lost 2,138 of its own to overdose deaths. That year Lexington and Richland counties led the way, and by year-end in 2023, overdose deaths in Lexington County topped 114, while fentanyl-related overdoses alone accounted for 64 deaths in Richland County.

South Carolina is facing stiff challenges when it comes to substance use disorder, with knock-on effects for the job market. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of substance abuse counselors in the state grew from 1,710 to 3,980, a massive increase of over 116%.

You can join this growing workforce and start having an impact by earning your credentials through Addiction Professionals of South Carolina (APSC). This nonprofit professional association serves as South Carolina’s local chapter of the NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, a national heavyweight in the field of substance abuse counseling.

APSC offers several certifications for substance use treatment professionals at various levels:

Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) – requires a bachelor’s degree
Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) – requires a master’s degree
Clinical Supervisor (CS) – requires a master’s degree
Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) – requires a high school diploma or GED
Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) – requires a high school diploma or GED

The CPSS and CPRS certifications are designed for people who have been through addiction themselves, putting them in a unique position to offer peer-to-peer support, though the role has a limited scope of practice that stops short of the traditional counselor-client relationship. The master’s-level AADC and CS credentials are something we’ll discuss in more detail later in this guide.

State licensure for Addiction Counselor Associates and Licensed Addiction Counselors are available through the South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, MFTs, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists. These credentials have steeper requirements that involve earning a master’s in addiction counseling, preferably through a CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Program)-accredited program. Aiming for state licensure is a worthy goal, but earning APSC certification first offers a more accessible path into the field with the option of becoming licensed later.

For that reason, the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) certification through the APSC represents a perfect entry-point for a career in full-authority substance use disorder counseling and an ideal way to start gaining valuable experience on the job. In this guide we’ll be covering the steps you’ll take to earn the ADC credential with the option of advancing to state licensure.

Steps to Becoming Certified as a Substance Abuse Counselor in South Carolina

To become an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) in South Carolina, you’ll need to proceed through these steps:

1. Earn at Least a Bachelor’s Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling or a Related Human Services Field

2. Fulfill ADC Experience Requirements

3. Apply for ADC Certification

4. Pass the IC&RC’s Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Examination

Step 1 – Earn at Least a Bachelor’s Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling or a Related Human Services Field

There’s no better preparation to become a substance abuse counselor in South Carolina than by earning a master’s degree in substance abuse and addiction counseling.

But if you’re just getting started on your educational journey, then it makes all the sense in the world to get started by meeting the minimum requirements for the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) credential, and that means earning a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited university. Recognized bachelor’s degrees can be in substance abuse and addiction counseling, or even in a broader human services field.

Your education needs to include 300 hours covering the following domains:

Pharmacology of Psychoactive Substances
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Counseling Approaches for Substance Use and Related Issues
Enhancing Motivation for Change
Group Treatment Approaches
Trauma-Informed Care
Screening and Assessment in Substance Abuse Treatment
Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors
Communicable Diseases: HIV/AIDS
Managing Anger and Depression in Substance Abuse Treatment
Telemental Health
Patient Placement Criteria
Confidentiality of Patient Records
Ethics in Addiction Counseling
Cultural Competence in Substance Abuse Treatment
Clinical Supervision for Addiction Professionals

It’s possible that most or all of this training in covered in a bachelor’s program specifically designed to prepare substance use disorder counselors, but in many cases it may still be necessary get some of those 300 hours from another sources. APSC has resources on where you can fulfill the training requirements.

Step 2 – Fulfill ADC Experience Requirements

You’ll also need experience to qualify for ADC certification. Much of this can be earned on-the-job, and will need to be verified by your current and past employers.

APSC spells out exactly what’s expected from these experience requirements:

Two years of full-time experience, or 4,000 hours of part-time experience, within the past five years, in the alcohol and drug counseling field.
200 hours of clinical supervision from an APSC-certified Clinical Supervisor; you can email the APSC for a full list of approved supervisors
At least 10 hours of supervision in each of the four counseling domains listed below:

1. 1. Screening, assessment, and engagement
  2. Treatment planning, collaboration, and referral
  3. Counseling and education
  4. Professional and ethical responsibilities

Step 3 – Apply for ADC Certification

Once you meet the requirements up to this point you can apply for ADC certification through APSC. This is done by creating an online account and submitting an application through Certemy, the third-party application management system APSC partners with.

Once you create an account you’ll find all the forms you need to verify your education and demonstrate that you’ve fulfilled all experience requirements to qualify for ADC certification.

When APSC approves your application it will send you the registration information you need to sign up for the last ADC requirement you must complete: The IC&RC ADC Exam.

Step 4 – Pass the IC&RC’s Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Examination

Using the info the APSC has sent you, you can register for the ADC Examination, which is sponsored by another national heavyweight in the field of addictions counseling: the IC&RC (International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium).

This computer-based exam is offered at Prometric ISO-Quality Testing sites throughout the state in:

You’re allocated three hours to complete the ADC Examination. It’s made up of 150 multiple-choice questions covering these four domains:

Once the IC&RC sends your passing exam results (at least 500 scaled points) to the APSC then you’re all set and you’ll officially be a certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor through the APSC.

With this credential you can apply for jobs throughout the state and potentially qualify for similar credentials via reciprocity if you move to another state.

With a Master’s Degree and More Experience Comes Advanced Licensure Options

By adding on to the bachelor’s degree you earned to become a certified ADC, you can eventually become a Licensed Addiction Counselor through the South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists.

You can qualify for state-issued licensure as an Licensed Addiction Counselor in South Carolina by earning a qualifying master’s degree, fulfilling additional experience requirements, and passing another more advanced exam.

As a Licensed Addiction Counselor you can engage in activities like:

Earning a qualifying master’s degree will also fulfill the education requirement to qualify you for these more advanced certifications issued by the APSC:

Substance Abuse Counselor Jobs in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Throughout South Carolina

Local leadership and law enforcement in South Carolina are weighing in on the current addiction crisis and they’re pointing the finger at fentanyl. They aren’t the only ones. As of 2024, lawmakers in the State House are advocating passage of a new bill that would create a new crime: fentanyl-induced homicide.

CDC figures show that overdose deaths across South Carolina increased by 75% between 2017 and 2021. Those most impacted are shown here with the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 people:

There’s hope in the fact that 3,980 substance abuse counselors are working throughout South Carolina, distributed across the state as follows:

820 professionals in the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin area
630 in Columbia
490 in the Charleston-North Charleston area
200 in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort area
160 in Florence
150 in Spartanburg
40 in Sumter

Statistics for combined multi-state metro areas show substance abuse counselor jobs distributed as follows:

As your journey towards becoming a Licensed Addiction Counselor progresses you’ll come across the names of these familiar South Carolina employers. You may even find yourself working at one of them under your ADC certification:

Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health in North Charleston
Spring Health in North Charleston
MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) in Charleston
Open Door Personnel in West Columbia
Prisma Health in Columbia
Concordance in Greenville
New Horizon Family Health Services in Greenville
Sumter Behavioral Health
Lexington Treatment Specialists in Sumter

Substance Abuse Counselor Salary in Charleston, Columbia, and Throughout South Carolina

The average substance abuse counselor salary across South Carolina was $49,310 in 2023. That’s up more than 59% over just a four-year span.

Average salaries were highest in these areas:

The salaries among the top ten percent of substance abuse counselors in South Carolina were highest in these areas:

Substance Abuse Counselor Degree Options in South Carolina

In addition to the counseling degrees you can earn in-state you’ll also find plenty of online options when it comes to completing substance abuse graduate programs online.

Online substance abuse programs are available at the associate, bachelor, and graduate levels. The sooner you graduate the sooner you can answer your call to become a substance abuse counselor in South Carolina.

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. Job growth projections 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 May 2024.