Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Wondering if anyone has any insight into becoming a substance abuse counselor? I'm a 41 year old who has worked in the corporate world for the last 20 years and I'm considering a career change. I don't know much at all about how one becomes a substance abuse counselor or what type of career is possible. But I'm curious to learn more so if anyone has any experience or knowledge about how one would do this please do share. Thanks!
Substance abuse is a specialty within the field of Social Work. Generally you need at least a Bachelor's degree in Social Work to be a case officer, and will need a Master's to hold any supervisory position.
If you have an undergrad degree that led you to your stint in the corporate world, you may be able to use that as a starting point for obtaining an MSW with perhaps a year or so of coursework.
Social Workers are required to be licensed in every state so after obtaining the degree you would need to work under direct supervision for about a year or two, before you could work on your own.