PhD and PsyD in Addiction Psychology

Doctorates in addiction counseling are offered as either traditional research-focused PhDs or practice-focused Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) programs.
Most doctoral-level substance abuse counselor degrees are actually psychology doctorates that meet the requirements for psychologist licensure in all states.
Doctoral degrees in the area of addiction counseling offer perfect preparation for becoming a university professor, and for everything from policy work to leadership roles in government and nonprofits.

If you’re interested in getting an education in substance use disorder (SUD) counseling at the doctorate level, then you’re already very familiar with the troubling reality on the ground in America, from city centers to rural communities.

From sources like the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, we’re deluged with data that’s critical to understanding the nature and mechanisms of addiction and substance use:

Taking opioids for any longer than 3 months increases the risk of addiction by 15 times
More than half of Americans get their illegal pain medications from a friend or relative, not on the streets
Nearly half of toxic substance exposure reports are made for children under the age of 5
Synthetic opioid death rates increased by 10 percent between 2017 and 2018

Someone has to discover the psychological, cultural, and physiological factors that underly addiction, and the most effective means of treatment and prevention. In many cases, that someone is a doctoral student.

If you’ve ever wondered where that data comes from, if you are curious about the evidence that underlies the evidence-based treatments that offer hope and a path toward actionable solutions, you have a PhD graduate in substance abuse counseling to thank.

As the highest level of education in addiction counseling and substance use disorder research, PhD programs are where the research is happening. It’s where the foremost experts are bringing together the most incisive findings about the crisis, learning the lay of the land, and exploring the mysteries of addiction.

And when solutions come, as they will, they will be coming from people who have taken the hard path to earning doctoral degrees in substance use disorders. You could be one of them.

Diverse Doctorate Options in Addiction Psychology and Treatment

A PhD in Addiction Counseling is a three to four-year degree that goes into the most advanced subjects in addiction and recovery. Everything from the biological to the social to the psychological elements of substance use disorders are covered in comprehensive explorations at the cutting edge of addiction science.

These are the degrees that you go to in addiction counseling when you want answers to the biggest questions. They have a broad perspective and in-depth exploration of the science and psychology of SUD therapy.

Like other degrees in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and counseling, these are interdisciplinary programs. They draw on core science and expertise from fields like:

In fact, most doctoral programs covering addiction counseling are offered by schools from these various disciplines, like a PhD in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use offered by a School of Social Work, or a PhD in Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies from a department specializing in marriage and family therapy.

Most Doctorate Programs that Deal with Substance Abuse Counseling Are Actually Psychology Degrees

The single largest source of doctoral degrees in addiction and recovery are schools of psychology, however. The doctorate degrees they confer can include something like a PhD in Counseling & Psychological Studies – Addictions Counseling or a regular PhD in Psychology with an Addictions Specialization. But they can also veer out into more specialized areas like a PhD in Addiction Neuroscience or a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision with a specialization in Addiction Counseling.

Some PhD options in addiction counseling are designed to prepare graduates for teaching and supervising other substance abuse counselors.

Unlike other degrees in substance abuse and addiction studies, PhD programs are primarily aimed at research rather than counseling. They engage in deep academic study and innovation, seeking to understand the underlying causes and the best methods of treatment for substance use disorders.

That also means that these are not usually programs that lead to licensure as a substance use disorder counselor. However, because they require that you have a bachelor’s and often a master’s degree behind you already, many people will come to doctoral programs having already earned a license.

There are, however, clinically-focused options that come along with another kind of doctoral program, the doctor of psychology, or PsyD. A PsyD in Substance Abuse Treatment is aimed primarily at preparing graduates for advanced licensing and practice in clinical psychology, but may also qualify them for additional credentials in addiction counseling… depending on state rules.

Advanced Coursework, Dissertation, and Research are the Hallmarks of Doctoral Studies in Addiction Studies and Substance Abuse Counseling

You’ll find those challenges reflected in the coursework you take at this level of study. Small, intimate classes with plenty of discussion, debate, and investigation characterize PhD studies. You’ll find yourself working more closely with professors than ever, engaging them on subjects that are still being hammered out in policy and science around addiction.

There’s also a lot of room for individual customization in PhD studies. There are no cookie cutters at this level of college. Every student takes away something unique, something shaped by their own interests and efforts.

Coursework tends to fall into three basic buckets in these programs, though. A specific PhD or PsyD might lean more in one direction or another, but generally you can expect topics in:

Addiction Diagnosis and Treatment Across Populations

These are the courses that most resemble those found in other graduate and undergraduate studies in addiction counseling. While they are taught at a higher level, you’ll recognize the basic outlines covering the hard one-on-one work of substance abuse counseling. They include classes like:

Foundational Courses in Addiction and Recovery
Couple and Family Dynamics of Addictions
Systemic Treatment of Addiction
Adolescent Substance Use Disorders
Global Approaches to Substance Use Prevention and Treatment

While these may be taught from a clinical perspective, you may also find that they are presented as much with a view toward teaching you how to teach others as they are to learning the subjects yourself.

Statistics and Research Skills

Research is itself a skill that has to be learned and perfected. Many counselors coming in to these advanced programs won’t have picked up extensive research experience or expertise elsewhere. To perform at a high level in developing their own thoughts and validating new theories, they’ll have to learn to perform the science through classes like:

These build up your abilities to develop evidence used to support your ideas and to help drive forward the capabilities and treatments of the addiction counseling profession as a whole.

Dissertation and Scholarly Research Will Fill Most of Your Studies in Doctorate-Level Addiction Counseling Degree Programs

Finally, as much as half of your total time in a PhD program may be spent investigating and writing up your final project. For most doctoral degrees, that’s going to be a formal dissertation.

A dissertation is a carefully researched and well-reasoned paper developing original theories on a matter important to the substance use disorder community. It develops your own unique ideas and findings, backed up by hard evidence and the input of your advisors. It may be over a hundred pages of dense academic writing, to be defended in front of your dissertation committee before you can graduate.

It’s not common to come into PhD programs already having all the skills and understanding of how to put together a major, publication-worthy paper like this. So you may also have classes in areas like Scholarly Writing and Professional Communication and Seminars in Professional Development to help you through the process.

You’ll spend plenty of time collaborating with your advisor and other researchers to gather evidence and hone your dissertation topic.

In some programs, particularly ones that are clinically-oriented, you may have the option for a capstone project instead of a dissertation. Just as with the master’s degree capstones that are common in addiction counseling, these are more practical explorations of new concepts and techniques.

Either way, these are the projects that your PhD ultimately revolves around. Your entry into the world of doctoral graduates in substance abuse counseling will be judged by the quality of your work. And you may find that new career opportunities will line up most clearly with the dissertation work you have done.

PsyD programs with a focus in addiction studies will always facilitate clinical placements as part of your studies.

In some cases, research substitutes for the sort of structured field experience that is common in other levels of addiction studies. But some PhD programs, particularly those with a clinical focus, may include practicum courses that put you out in the community, engaging in actual counseling practice to hone your skills.

Specializing Your PhD Studies With Electives and Research Projects

In a sense, pretty much every PhD program is highly specialized to the needs of the student. With so much of the coursework and research being done specifically in the area of your dissertation or capstone, it’s essentially a degree that is tailored to your unique interests.

On top of your research projects, though, you’ll be able to shape those interests through other graduate level coursework. You may choose to further develop your teaching and supervision skills, or go into the world of substance abuse policy development. Or you might want to dive into a specific population, specializing in teens or incarcerated SUD patients.

That focused expertise will come to you through elective options like:

Development in Adulthood
Socialization and Addiction
Psychopathology and Assessment
Healthcare Policy and Administration
Group Counseling in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder
Behavioral Neuroscience
Psychobiology of Motivation and Reward
Behavior Genetics and Animal Models

With your advisors, you will put together the ideal combination to give you a unique perspective into the areas of substance abuse counseling where you can do the most good.

Earning a PhD or PsyD in Addiction Counseling Online Is an Increasingly Popular Choice

There are fewer options for PhD programs in substance abuse counseling than there are at the master’s level. At the same time, the choice of school will have major repercussions for your education and career.

Fortunately, your choice of schools opens up a lot with the introduction of online doctoral programs. Although these are not as common as online master’s degrees, they are becoming increasingly popular in the field.

It’s easy to see why. Doctoral students typically come to their studies only after a few years of work, on top of their many years of schooling. They are older and have gotten a start on lives and careers. It’s tough to drop all that to pick up and go somewhere else to commit to a degree full time.

Remote programs allow you to keep your life in the real world on track while still developing a high level of knowledge in substance abuse counseling.

Online tools keep you tied in with your professors and fellow students through video conferencing, shared whiteboards, and other features. Volumes of research data can be accessed and crunched across the internet.

And most of these come without any kind of scheduled timeline, which means you can do your work at any time of day. That’s a gift for anyone trying to raise kids or keep a non-profit agency up and running.

What Kind of Jobs Will a Doctorate in Substance Abuse Counseling Unlock?

People don’t usually come to the PhD level without a few years moving up along a career path first, so you probably already have a pretty solid idea what you want to accomplish with one of these degrees.

In general, you can take your career in two different directions with a doctorate in addiction counseling.

Clinical Leadership and Supervision

You don’t need a PhD to be a substance abuse counselor, and there’s no requirement to have one to practice. Still, a degree at this level can give you superlative professional counseling skills for patients.

While doctoral studies in substance abuse don’t directly lead to licensure, there’s a good chance you’ve already covered that ground in your undergraduate or graduate studies.

For the most part, these positions are a step beyond direct counseling practice. PhD grads are more likely to take on roles that involve leadership and supervision at substance abuse treatment facilities or outreach organizations. Your expertise is used to guide and oversee other counselors, helping them crack the tough cases. Or you may come up with treatment protocols or policies that make the services provided more effective… and pull more patients back from the brink.

How To Think about Substance Abuse Counseling Licensure as a Doctoral Student

Most clinical jobs, even in leadership, are going to require licensure. It’s very likely this is something you will have earned at some earlier point in your education, but what if you haven’t?

Post-graduate certificate programs offer you an option to complete the educational hours required for licensure at the same high level as your other PhD studies. You may even find them offered at the same university as your doctoral program. In some cases, they can be completed simultaneously with your other PhD studies.

These are in many cases aimed at practicing professionals coming from other human services and psychology roles that require master’s degrees for licensure – social workers, mental health counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Whether that describes you or not, they may meet your state’s educational requirements toward certification or licensure. The only way to be certain is to check with the relevant state licensing authority.

Otherwise, a regular graduate certificate in addiction studies can help you clear the bar with licensing, too. These are even more broadly available in online formats than PhD programs, so it can be quite easy to complete one to get your clinical counseling career on track.

Research and Policy

When it comes to the positions with the greatest responsibility and ability to move the needle furthest when it comes to the overall SUD crisis in this country, PhD are the three letters everyone wants to see on job applications.

When it comes to making big decisions or turning up new data, the background that comes with a PhD is what mints the right candidates for the top jobs.

They may work in policy nonprofits or government agencies tasked with substance abuse response. In many cases, they are heading for roles in education, training the next generation of SUD counselors. And, related to that, they have positions that are important to the research and development of treatment and recovery methods.

In either case, you’ll find that you start charting your course to those roles before you even get started in your program. Programs that have developed active relationships and extensive data archives with treatment programs, government agencies, and other organizations working in your areas of interest offer you far more opportunities to make a name for yourself and get connected with people likely to hire you in the future.

Working with advisors whose research focus aligns with the areas you are interested in will help plug you in with the professional community you want to be a part of.

It takes a lot of work and a lot of time to earn a doctorate in substance abuse counseling. But what it brings is an unequaled ability to make a difference in a crisis that sometimes seems unending. What a doctorate ives you is more than knowledge and skill: it also prepares you for roles where you can have the kind of influence to effect real change.