Rehabilitation Counselor

In the early 20thcentury, there was only one sort of counseling available. That was Psychoanalysis, as pioneered by Sigmund Freud, and then spread and popularized by an ever-widening number of counselors. After Freud's initial successes, psychologists began developing their own psychological theories and treatment methodologies.


Now every town and city has a large number of counselors who offer treatments across a wide range of theories and methods. To help you sort through what seems like a confusing group of seemingly contradictory solutions to personal problems, we wrote this page in hopes of clarifying the counseling world.


Types of Counselors


There is a wide range of counselors available to treat all sorts of clients. Their counseling might be less focused on mental health and more on, say, learning to become a better student, parent, or worker. There are child counselors who specialize in youngsters, just as there are counselors who focus on the elderly or those suffering from substance abuse issues.


Child Counselor - These counselors help children and parents address various mental health issues and how they manifest in childhood. Child counselors might employ methods that are unheard of with adult clients. For instance, a child counselor might integrate art or music therapy into regular sessions. They might also use dolls to help children demonstrate interpersonal experiences.


Educational Counseling - Kids have a lot on their plate. They are subject to many stressors with which they have no way of dealing. When kids start acting out in school, their teachers often have a resource person who can give the kids the one-on-one attention they need. Further, a school counselor can help the entire school recover when they experience a tragedy.


Marriage and Family Counseling - Families often face troubles that are difficult to address and solve without external help. Couples also find that, as they grow, certain rifts arise in their relationship. A Marriage and Family Counselor can meet with members of the family group on a one-on-one basis or as a whole to help find solutions for their troubles.


Mental Health Counseling - These counselors are often general practice psychotherapists who help every-day adults work through the troubles that plague them. They can help people get to the root of their depression, poor habits, anxiety, or distinct traumas. Clients seek mental health counselors to overcome childhood trauma, work and life stress, and a myriad of modern maladies.


Rehabilitation Counseling - Rehabilitation counselors are professionals who help people who suffer from a wide range of difficulties to learn to live on their own. For example, they might work with developmentally disabled persons and help them overcome the logistical and emotional hurdles that impede their daily activities. They also work with clients who struggle with a wide range of emotional or physical wounds.


Substance Abuse Counseling - There are specific problems that accompany many substance abuse issues. Substance abuse counselors have a deep understanding of the addiction dynamic and the many ways to treat it. They can help a recovering addict or alcoholic recover from their seemingly intransigent state of mind and body.

What is Your Career Choice Salary Earning Potential?


A substance abuse counselor is a type of mental health counselor who treats patients suffering from drug or alcohol dependency. They may also treat individuals who are concerned they are abusing drugs and alcohol in a way that might lead to addiction. These mental health professionals will work with both the chemically dependent client and their family to find coping strategies and plans of action to foster success for everyone. Family involvement can be an important part of the recovery and healing process. Substance abuse counselors are increasingly in demand and they are expected to continue to be so through 2026. People who enjoy helping others and have patience often make ideal substance abuse counselors.


To become a licensed substance abuse counselor, your educational and training requirements will vary from state to state. Most people will complete degree programs at accredited colleges and universities. Some states might only require a certificate; whereas, other states will require a degree. All potential counselors will require a certain number of supervised hours with clients, to pass an exam, and to clear child abuse and felony background checks. Majors for this career can also vary, however, most people choose an undergraduate degree in psychology and specialize in substance abuse as a minor when it is available. You might also have to complete the National Counselor Exam to become officially licensed in addiction and substance abuse within your state.


Some employers will hire former addicts without any formal education or training. These individuals are expected to have been clean and sober for a number of years, usually two or more. Those who employ these types of substance abuse counselors believe that the real-life struggle of someone who has overcome their problems can be highly beneficial to those who are currently abusing alcohol or drugs. Employment for these individuals is highly limited but you can always take accredited online courses to complete certifications and degrees while you work.


You will require a number of hard and soft skills to be a success as a substance abuse counselor and it can be helpful to have certain natural or experience-based characteristics. Your hard skills will be the right education, certifications, and job experiences. If you have not completed your supervised training, you are less likely to be hired. Individuals who are able to manage stress well, have superior social skills, possess the ability to maintain appropriate boundaries, and have experience with recovery are likely to perform well as a counselor. And the soft skills that help mental health professionals excel in this field are highly specific, such as confidence, a desire to help, empathy, and listening skills.


The growth of this profession is directly related to current social issues. The opioid addiction crisis continues to be a significant strain despite states working to implement prevention and treatment programs. Jails and prisons are overcrowded, influencing a move by judges to sentence more criminals to drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation rather than to jail or prison. Another trend is happening among employers; some are more likely to send their employees to treatment rather than to terminate them, particularly for those who can do video sessions rather than miss work. Schools are also taking a more proactive role dealing with alcohol and drug abuse in teens and even children who are raised by drug and alcohol abusers. All of these trends are leading to significant growth in the substance abuse counseling field.


Places You Can Work


The type of employers seeking substance abuse counselors will vary. You could work anywhere from a private clinic to a public school, interacting with kids. This position typically requires a minimum of 40 hours per week. In some instances, you might work more. It is important that you establish boundaries in this job, or you may experience burn-out and not have the work-life balance that is essential to the health of your own relationships. Also, keep in mind that you will be helping some individuals who are dealing with very complex, difficult, and draining problems, not just with their addiction, but with the effects it has on their family, work life, and children. You must have a highly strong emotional and physical core to be able to help these people without being negatively affected yourself.


Employee Assistance Programs


Employee assistance programs are often provided by progressive employers to aid in the mental health of their employees. Many companies believe that the mental health of employees is essential to the success of their business and the overall happiness of their customers. As such, employers will pay to have their employees seek counseling for their personal problems, including alcohol and drug abuse.


Hospitals


Laws and medical policies are changing to require hospitals to keep mental health professionals on staff, including substance abuse counselors. Hospitals, like many medical professions today, are grasping the overall importance of mental health. You might be able to work in a hospital, clinic, community non-profit, or state-funded program center. As greater emphasis is placed on mental health, there is more need for mental health counselors of all sorts.


Methadone Clinics

A methadone clinic is designated for treating individuals with an opioid addiction through the administration of methadone. These highly specialized clinics also offer a range of support programs for patients, such as regular meetings with a substance abuse counselor. Because these clinics are government regulated, you will have to meet more stringent standards than with some other employers.


School Districts


School districts recognize the need for mental health professionals more than ever given the state of public schools in the country. A substance abuse counselor in a school works with at-risk youth who are abusing drugs and alcohol or those who are or might be considering it. The idea behind this program is not to replace the traditional school counselor but rather act as a preventative measure to prevent crime, and as a way to provide at-risk students a more promising path to success in life. This is also done at school so that families are not burdened with the time or money required to seek treatment outside of school.


Treatment Centers


Drug and alcohol treatment centers are traditionally one of the largest employers of substance abuse counselors. These types of positions require one-on-one counseling and group discussions. The more reputable the treatment center the more education and training you will likely require. It is possible to work at a small center to gain experience as you complete higher education.


Rehabilitation counselors assist people with special needs to attain their personal, social, mental and also occupational objectives. They guide individuals with physical, sensory, developing and also cognitive disabilities as well as those with psychological health or various other wellness conditions that are obtained at birth or arising from disease, disease, accident, armed forces solution and/or recurring tension. Using treatments and also other counseling strategies, they aid their clients get rid of ecological and attitudinal obstacles, acquire needed services as well as utilize innovation that can help them. Along with functioning directly with their customers and families, rehabilitation counselors assess institutions and also medical reports and also provide and prepare doctors, psycho therapists, occupational therapists, as well as companies to identify the capacities and skills of the person.


Consulting the client, they establish a recovery or therapy strategy developed to help the person in accomplishing goals, which might include training to help the person develop job skills or tasks to aid the client with living independently. Rehabilitation counselors deal with a variety of customers and in a number of various settings. For example, they might:


  • Operate in the institution system supplying or arranging for school-to-work transition solutions

  • Aid workers wounded on the job

  • Help veterans in accomplishing work and also independent living goals

  • Give solutions for senior people that establish illness and/or need lodgings as they age

  • Help people with material use disorders or other dependencies

  • Rehabilitation counselors might concentrate on locations ranging from employee assistance programs and also task development/placement to mental health and wellness counseling as well as life care planning, among others.


Rehabilitation counselors typically work a standard 40-hour week. Independent counselors and also those working in mental wellness as well as area firms, such as material usage and behavior disorder counselors, frequently work nights to advice clients that work throughout the day. Rehabilitation counselors might have a series of titles, consisting of counselor, rehabilitation counselor or consultant, independent living specialist, task placement professional or case manager, among others.


Rehabilitation counselors usually have to have a master's level in rehabilitation counseling. Some placements need Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor qualification or a license.If you are interested in a rehabilitation counseling program, you can major in a number of topics as an undergraduate, consisting of psychology, social work, therapy or psychiatry. You can look for an accredited master's degree program on the Council on Rehabilitation Education's internet site. A master's program will typically last 24 months.


Professional training belongs to the program and also consists of monitored internship experience as well as a practicum. Throughout your master's program, you will learn more about:


  • Job counseling

  • Situation management and recovery planning

  • Counseling concept, abilities, and also strategies

  • Ecological analysis

  • Concerns as well as ethics in recovery solution shipment

  • Work growth as well as placement

  • Psychosocial and medical aspects of handicap, including human growth and also advancement

  • Research study and also program evaluation


A lot of companies call for a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or a related field. Master's level programs educate trainees to examine clients' requirements, develop as well as execute job placement approaches, and recognize the clinical and mental facets of special needs. These programs usually include a duration of monitored clinical experience, such as an internship.


Although some companies work with workers with a bachelor's degree in rehab as well as disability research, these employees normally can not use the full series of solutions that a rehabilitation counselor with a master's degree can give. Students in bachelor's level programs discover issues encountered by individuals with impairments and also regarding the process of supplying recovery solutions. Some colleges offer dual-degree programs in rehabilitation counseling, in which trainees can earn a bachelor's as well as master's level in 5 years.


Coming to be a rehabilitation counselor, consisting of an occupation rehabilitation counselor, needs a minimum of a masters level, with some pupils advancing to earn a postgraduate degree. While lots get their masters level in rehabilitation counseling, trainees can likewise pick a program concentrated on various specialized elements of therapy, consisting of trade or addiction therapy. A masters is the minimal degree needed for this occupation path due to the fact that it allows for a deeper, extra specialized understanding of issues and also treatment options. Unlike a bachelors level, masters degree coursework focuses only on the subject available, without any general education requirements. Those who seek a doctorate can show in a university setting and can typically earn higher earnings with time.


A masters in rehabilitation counseling must be approved by the Council for Certification of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP verifies that degree-granting programs offer the education required for trainees to efficiently go after careers. As with numerous degrees, numerous colleges supply on-line alternatives for individual courses or entire programs targeted at non-traditional learners or working professionals. Beyond the level demands, all 50 states require experts to make certifications or get licensing. Licensing needs vary, but pupils generally have to have a relevant degree, pass an exam, and also build up a specific number of supervised job hours.


Every state needs rehabilitation counselors to be accredited, yet those requirements vary. Frequently, states require a masters degree in an appropriate area, a number of hrs of supervised job experience, passing an exam, as well as paying a fee. Tests are generally provided numerous times a year, allowing candidates to prepare for them. Charges vary commonly, as does the price of renewing a certificate, which can take place each year or every few years. Find out more concerning each state's specific requirements here. Licensing is needed to work separately within the area, and also is normally expected to happen within a number of years of earning your degree, after which you may no longer certify.


This aids make sure that counselors are current on the concerns encountering their field and also going to continue learning. Certification is a separate process and is usually not needed for licensure, yet may be required for sure profession courses. Qualification demonstrates that you have chosen to find out a certain aspect of rehabilitation counseling, and that you are specifically certified to assist individuals with a particular concern or within a particular population. Operating in an institution might require certification for youngsters or teenagers, while operating in drug rehabilitation could require accreditation in dependency therapy. Qualification is generally not called for to function within the area, but a licensed rehabilitation counselor has a larger selection of job courses than a coworker with no qualifications.


To obtain a basic understanding of the different methods to get a job as a rehabilitation counselor, it is handy to understand what rehabilitation counselor professions are. Lots of individuals check out therapy as mainly a social service that entails helping the private to conquer a medication addiction or mental illness. Actually the job requirements of a rehabilitation counselor is much wider than this.


It is essential to identify that the most vital thing to understand about the work is that it is an effort to change an individual. Although many individuals do not always realize this fact lots of people just utilize the procedure of alcohol and drug therapy in order to dominate their dependencies as well as come to be sober. For the most part people will not attempt to do this by themselves. As a result, the primary focus for any individual taking into consideration seeking a career as a rehabilitation counselor is to ensure that they have the skills, experience as well as certifications necessary to achieve the sort of success that is possible with the use of organized courses and courses.


Once a person has actually been detected with a substance abuse or mental disorder, the following action is to identify if there is a possibility of them having the skills necessary to gain employment. Although there are numerous forms of programs available to work toward this end, there are some programs that can be much less desirable than others.


One of the factors that it is so essential to make sure that the essential skills are readily available is since these are the skills that will certainly enable them to be able to offer top quality services to individuals that may require intensive support. Many times the primary function of the program is to try as well as boost the possibility that the individual will certainly be able to get rid of the dependency. The programs are developed to change the attitude as well as mannerisms of the person in order to protect against regression.


It is fairly common for people to become addicted to specific substances and at different levels of extent. Nevertheless, no matter how addicted a specific person becomes there are normally 2 basic courses that they should absorb order to recoup. The first course is a long and sluggish procedure of determining, determining and after that transforming the manner in which a private thinks of their dependency.


The second course can be figured out with even more ease, since the only impediment to attaining a successful recuperation is an individual's thoughts as well as perspectives. This indicates that the programs might require the private to alter their thoughts and their mannerisms in order to raise their opportunities of success.


When considering just how to end up being a rehabilitation counselor, this will certainly aid you realize that there are various sorts of programs. Depending on the sort of private you are, there are 2 sorts of programs that are readily available. Each of these courses leads to a different success price.


The first type of program that is often utilized is called On-Ramp. On-Ramp is an outpatient program where the specific just completes a brief course of classes that provide the needed abilities for them to become involved in the community. The goal of the program is to enable the specific to obtain involvement in a community in which they will certainly have the ability to attain the desired end result of being sober.


An additional type of program that can be utilized by a private aiming to come to be a rehabilitation counselor is called The Peer Mentoring Program. This is a program in which a person is involved in an individual procedure with one more person that has successfully overcome their dependency.


Problem drinkers Anonymous is the most usual means for numerous individuals to end up being associated with an addiction therapy program. The goal of AA is to supply an outlet for the person that is incapable to look for counseling themselves. They are able to do so in a community in which they will certainly have the ability to connect with various other recovering problem drinkers.


An individual may become addicted to medicines or alcohol for any variety of reasons including illiteracy or office pressure. For that reason, the strategy for those looking for a career as a rehabilitation counselor is to guarantee that they have the required skills to be effective in their efforts to aid those in their lives to get rid of dependency. This means that the ability to determine the need for therapy is as essential as the skills required to be efficient.


Career Outlook


The job outlook for a substance abuse counselor far exceeds that of nearly all other careers between 2016 and 2026. This counseling field is expected to grow by up to 23% during this time. This exceptional growth can be attributed to the trends of more substance abuse counselors in schools, more rehabilitation sentencing, more employer support, and the opioid crisis. The number of substance abuse counselors has already grown by roughly 30,000 jobs since 2012. These jobs are often considered highly fulfilling and in the top 50 of overall best jobs in the US and top 25 for the best health profession jobs.


An often-overlooked aspect of substance abuse counselors is the significant ways by which they positively impact society. These professionals are directly related to community improvements in several ways, including lower crime rates, fewer hospitalizations and accidents, safer roads, and less domestic violence. And these mental health professionals help to improve the lives of dozens of people through just one client, from family members to children. If you want to make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of thousands of people over the course of your career, you might just want to become a substance abuse counselor.