subject: The Prerequisites Necessary To Become A Drug And Alcohol Abuse Professional [print this page] Drug and alcohol treatment centers are specialized treatment centers which offer programs that help addicted clients to recover. In order for this program to be successful patients need competent health professionals to help them in their journey to recovery.
Drug and alcohol treatment counselors are vital parts of the society to be physically and mentally healthy. They give alcohol and drug therapy to patients who suffer from this substance abuse. Unfortunately, many of our therapy facilities do not have enough counselors in their office. This makes drug and alcohol treatment counselor a good choice of a career. It does not only benefit the patients but also the counselor. There are many job opportunities which await them.
To become a part of the drug and alcohol treatment centers as a counselor is easy. The interested candidate would only take 270 hours of lecture and training to complete the course. This could be completed through regular classroom settings or you can choose to study online depending on what your state education program provides. The required hours to complete the course could vary from 150 to 300 hours depending on the state.
The subject you need to take up includes drug pharmacology where the patient studies the details of drugs including side effects and its adverse reaction, counseling skills, Ethics, AIDS training and substance abuse prevention. You could obtain an associate degree in chemical dependency, or a bachelor's degree or master's degree in drug and alcohol counseling. Whatever your choice your chances to land on a career is secured.
After completing the course, all students should join the internship program before they could be a professional counselor. This will assure the clients in the drug and alcohol treatment centers that their medical service providers don't only have the knowledge but also the abilities that will guide them to their choices of recovery. The number of hours allocated for this on-the-job training depends on the state requirements.
An examination provided by the NAADAC Association for Addiction Professionals after the program and internship will be completed. There are many useful materials and review classes which will help the aspirant to pass the licensure exam. This includes manuals and exercise test. You can ask your drug and alcohol addiction adviser of your college. For latest updates on drug and alcohol treatment programs the counselor needs continuing education classes every year.
