How To Become A Substance Abuse Counselor
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Provide Support to Criminal Offenders and Their Families as a Substance Abuse Counselor
Working as a substance abuse counselor can be a very trying, difficult job, because not only will you have to work within the corrections system, you will have to work with people dealing with very difficult and painful addictions. You will also act a support system for their families to help everyone involved work through it and get better. It could even prove to be a potentially dangerous job, since you could be placed in high risk environments with volatile people. If you are strong and passionate about this role though, careerplanner.com predicts an exceptionally high increase of jobs in this field, making room for many budding counselors. An increase of about 34% is expected, and this is largely due to the growing number of addicts being sent to rehabilitation centers instead of jail. The average salary you can expect will fluctuate depending on location and experience, but you can look for around $40,000-$51,000 according to the Economic Research Foundation. There is a risk to this job, but it can be extremely rewarding and worthwhile compared to other careers in criminal justice.
Necessary Education
To work in this field, it is mandatory to have a bachelor's degree but not necessarily a criminal justice degree, and the recommended areas are psychology, social work or sociology. These degrees can be completed online through accredited institutes, and some of the preferred ones are Ashford University or Walden University Online. You may also need an additional year of professional work experience in areas like drug abuse counselling or group treatment to be eligible for certain positions. Finally, most states will have a requirement of passing a state certification exam in order to be licensed to practice in the field.
Job Expectations
This job is diverse, and although it can be risky, it is very fulfilling. You will find yourself in different environments working with offenders on probation, jail inmates, parolees or the families of the abusers. Your responsibilities will include setting up drug and alcohol treatment plans and testing, offering group and individual counselling sessions, and overall support for everyone involved. You will need to assess the current plan of action for its effectiveness, and write up reports on the progress and the test results which will be handed to probation or parole officers. Furthermore, you will provide physical and psychological evaluations, and help develop educational programs to offer your patients. Finally, your assessment will help determine if a patient should remain in a rehabilitation program, and if so, for how long. Substance abuse is a leading cause or factor in many crimes, so punishing the offender without tackling the problem can be counter-productive. A substance abuse counselor needs to be concerned with the rehabilitation and well-being of the person in question to ensure that once a sentence is served, they can truly move on to a better life.
Criminal Justice Degree |
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