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Drug Addiction Counselor

Drug addiction counselors are especially trained professionals with certifications in both drug addiction and counseling. It is often necessary to complete additional post-secondary training and the certification process in this field; it varies from state to state. Requirements to become a licensed drug addiction counselor may include pursuing an appropriate field of study and obtaining a bachelor’s degree or more advanced masters or even doctoral degree in Human Resources, Psychology or Social Work. Other states may only require a certificate or associates degree in addictions counseling combined with the completion of an internship and passing a state licensing exam and background and drug screening tests to prove that you personally are free of drugs, alcohol and other addictions. A college guidance counselor can really best advise anyone of the steps that they will need to take to enroll in the appropriate classes for licensure. Drug addiction counselors often take specialized courses in addition to the minimum requirements for licensure to help them acquire the knowledge and skills that are necessary to successfully council and support those individuals who are trying to break free from the effects of addiction and to learn how live without using an addiction as a coping mechanism. Course electives that can truly help anyone who is interested in becoming a drug addiction counselor can include subjects such as Therapy and Counseling and Psychology; Sociology and Anthropology. To be a great drug addiction counselor it is very important to work on developing great communication skills. Drug addiction counselors really need to be able to express themselves clearly and concisely as well as to be able to listen to others and understand and ask questions. They also need to be great at working with others and be very flexible so that they can adapt their treatment methods and therapy approaches to best help their patients in their efforts to overcome their addictions. The ability to think logically in an organized manner and to identify and develop solutions to many problems is also skills that successful drug addiction counselors must work on developing. With the rapidly increasing rate of drug addiction in the world and the truly devastating consequences that drug addiction has in the lives of the addict, their family and friends and even society as a whole, becoming a drug addiction counselor that helps addicts to win their fight over addiction can be a very satisfying and rewarding career. If you are the type of person that enjoys discovering just what makes others tick so that you can help them overcome obstacles and reach goals, then this may just be the career for you. Drug addiction counselors often work in offices and provide private counseling to individuals and groups, but they also work in hospitals, drug treatment centers and many other types of facilities to best meet the needs of their clients. Some drug addiction counselors work within communities of high risk individuals that might not ordinarily seek drug addiction treatment centers and in some instances they may participate in home visits and other methods to help their clients receive drug addiction treatment.