How To Get A Certification In Alcohol and Drug Counseling
Submitted by: TigerEye
As the economic times worsen many turn to illicit activities to make ends meet. Of those who do this, many also can not handle the effects of drugs and alcohol in their lives. Not only can they not handle the effects, they may be thrown in jail for illegal activities. You can help these people by showing them a way out of their situation. Becoming an alcohol and drug counselor is one way to offer these people some hope.
The first thing to have when desiring to help people is a sincere heart. If you are just trying to make money, you will tire of this job quickly. You must have the deep-seated desire to make society better. If you have this, coupled with the right knowledge, you will have the opportunity to go far. To get started you will want to start looking online. Getting a certificate online is as easy as opening your browser. One college that offer this service online is the University of South Dakota. They offer more than one course in alcohol and drug studies. You will find this convenient if you do not have the money or the time to attend classes offline in a local campus. They offer a Bachelor of Science degree in alcohol and drug studies, undergraduate certification and a graduate certification in the same area. The course is twenty seven hours long. You will become a professional that will be able to offer high quality counseling to those who have serious problems. If you do not live in South Dakota, you will want to check to see if these courses are accredited in the area you live or want to work in. A background check is required to complete the course from the University of South Dakota.
If you want to try your hand at a "regular" school, Bellvue College offers classes in the area of alcohol and drug counseling. They call it something a bit different; "Certification as a Chemical Dependency Professional". The contraction is "CDP". They have prerequisites for taking this course. You will need an Associates degree in human services or at least ninety college credits. If you want to use the credits, half of them must previously be related to chemical dependency and associated with alcohol and drug counseling.
The student will be required to finish one thousand to twenty five thousand hours of work as a trainee. What will you learn at this school ? Here are some of the things listed below:
Four basic theoretical perspectives on the cause of chemical dependency
Core elements of assessment and diagnosis of chemical dependency
Create and implement individual treatment plans
Case management using employers, family and lawyers
Principles of relapse prevention
Maintain medical records
Federal and State laws in chemical dependency
Bellvue College helps with job placement. They are located in the beautiful state of Washington.
As you will learn, Alcohol and Drug Counselors have differing degrees according to their social work. Their work is closely related to the mental health services. Your job will be a hard one, but again, if your heart is in the right place, it will also be a fulfilling one.
Alcohol and Drug Counseling
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Word Count: 550 Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 Time: 9:52 AM
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