Alabama

What does an Addiction Counselor do? What is their role?


When you decided to begin your career as a substance abuse counselor, you started the process for a rewarding, sometimes difficult career. Using your education and potentially some experiences, you’re going to be working with individuals who desperately need guidance as they try to shake difficult addictions to substances. They may have tried to stop using substances by themselves, only to be sucked back into their addiction time and time again.


Now that you, along with several other licensing applicants are ready to begin working in an Alabama substance abuse facility, they may have a better direction for their lives. Before you begin working, you need to jump through a few state-mandated hoops. Once you graduate from your counseling program, you’ll begin to study again, for the licensure exam. This is required of every counseling applicant to each substance abuse rehab facility in Alabama. It’s how Alabama, along with forty-nine other states, ensures that its counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers have the ethics and knowledge they need to work in this field.


Overview


Once you don your cap and gown to graduate from college, you still have some steps to complete before you begin working for a substance abuse treatment facility in Alabama. You’ll need to take a licensing exam that will tell treatment facilities that you have the education, ethics and knowledge necessary to work with residents or clients.


This means you’ll have to request a licensing packet from the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling. Inside that packet, you’ll find several documents. For the associate licensed counselor, you’ll find the ALC application, application information, a worksheet for the course work you’ll need to review, proof of citizenship an ALC recommendation for and proposed plan of supervision.


Inside the licensed professional counselor’s packet, you’ll see the LPC endorsement application, proof of citizenship, recommendation form and the academic prerequisite policy.


Make sure you know what the educational requirements are for licensure at your level. This makes your work much easier as you complete each step.


Alabama substance abuse counselors who have been in the field for at least one year are required to maintain their continuing education hours every other year. CE hours vary from state to state, but the procedure is similar across states.


Every year, each substance abuse counselor is expected to attend conferences and training seminars. Organizations that provide educational seminars for CE requirements will give certificates of completion to each attendee. Until their annual CE hours are completed for the upcoming year, counselors are supposed to take part in these educational opportunities. Once they have their CE hours fulfilled, counselors next make copies of their completion certificates, fill out paperwork that helps to track each counselor’s CE hours, attach the appropriate payment, if any, and send the materials in. Once the counselor licensing agency receives the counselor’s continuing education packet, their license to practice will be extended for two calendar years.


Alabama Licensing & Certifications for Associates & Independent Counselors


Different substance abuse treatment facilities require counselors at different levels. Some counselors work at a higher level than other counselors. In Alabama, four certification levels are available


The Associate Addictions Professional


This person works at the lowest level of certification. This professional should have one year of experience, or 2,000 hours of practice experience. If you are at this level, you are only required to hold a high school diploma or GED; you should also have 150 hours of clinical supervision in 12 core functions; 150 hours of education and training; 65 hours in counseling education and another 85 hours in addiction education.


Your supervisor and three colleagues should provide evaluations of your work experience. You’re required to have six hours of ethics education and four hours of HIV/AIDS education.


To work as an associate addictions professional, you should pass the written exam administered in Alabama. You also need to present signed Code of Ethics and appropriate releases.


Certified Addictions Counselor, Reciprocal Level


This certification also doesn’t require a college degree. A high school diploma and GED are required. You need to have three years or 6,000 hours of direct counseling experience. If you do have an advanced degree, a master’s degree will be a good substitute for two years or 4,000 hours of experience. If you have a bachelor’s degree, this is a substitute for one year or 2,000 hours of direct counseling experience.


You need 300 hours of clinical supervision in 12 core functions. Take 270 hours of education and training workshops related to the 12 core functions.


Obtain evaluations from three colleagues and your supervisor. Take four hours of HIV/AIDS education and six of ethics education.


At this level, you need to pass the ICRC written exam, submit a written case presentation, pass the oral exam and sign your copy of the Code of Ethics and all releases.

Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Professional


You’ll need three years or 6,000 hours of direct counseling practice. As with the certified addictions counselor, a bachelor’s or masters will substitute for some of the required hours of direct counseling experience.


You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a human services field, 300 hours of clinical supervision in the 12 core functions, 4 hours of HIV/AIDs education and 6 hours of ethics education. Obtain signed evaluations from three colleagues and your supervisor. Pass the ICRC written exam and the oral exam. Submit one written case presentation and sign the Code of Ethics and required releases.


Master’s Level Addiction Professional


If you are a master’s level addiction professional, many of the previous requirements apply here as well. You’ll need to hold a master’s degree in a social services field.


(CACREP) or (CORE) Licensure and Certification


Licensed professional counselors in Alabama are required to hold their master’s degree in counseling. You should have earned this from a Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) or Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) - accredited educational program or its equivalent. You’ll be required to have at least 48 graduate semester hours completed when you begin working for a substance abuse facility.


To be accepted for licensure in Alabama, you need to take courses in counseling theory, which includes courses in basic theories, the principles and techniques of counseling and how these apply to professional counseling settings.


Take courses in social and multicultural foundations. These courses should have a broad focus in societal changes and trends, societal subgroups, human roles, multicultural and pluralistic trends, social mores and interaction patterns, major societal concerns (stress, substance abuse, person abuse, discrimination and various methods for alleviating these issues.


Human growth and development. Here, you need courses that give you a broader understanding of people at their different developmental levels. You need a background in abnormal behavior and personality theory, learning theory and life-span theory and finally, the learning theory as it stands within cultural context.


As a counselor, you are in a helping role. To be the most effective advocate, you need to have a wide understanding of philosophic bases of helping and these processes. You’ll learn counseling theories and how these are applied. Basic and advanced helping skills are also taught. You’ll need to study client/helper self-understanding and self-development. You’ll also work on the facilitation of client change.


You’ll probably work in group settings. Here, you need to understand group dynamics, processing and counseling. You’ll learn group dynamics and counseling theories, group leadership styles and other group approaches.


Lifestyle and career development classes help you to understand career development theories, occupational and educational information sources and systems. You’ll learn about career and leisure counseling, guidance and education, lifestyle and career choices and program planning around career development.


You’ll learn how to appraise individuals, using psychometric and educational theories. Data and information gathering methods will be a part of your learning. In learning about statistics, you’ll go over validity, reliability and psychometric studies. You’ll also learn how to administer and interpret tests and inventories so you can learn how to assess an individual’s abilities, career options and interests.


You’ll learn about research and evaluation using basic statistics, research report development and research implementation. You’ll learn how to evaluate programs and run needs assessments. Ethical and legal considerations will also be taught.


The practicum and internship will be a vitally important part of your education. Here, you’ll put into practice everything you’ve learned.


Alabama CACREP Accredited Online Counseling Certification


Board of Examiners in Counseling


The Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling is a panel of professional counselors appointed to regulate counseling professionals. Their mission is to:


  • Protect the public

  • Enforce counseling licensure qualification standards

  • Enforce disciplinary procedures when required


Address

950 22nd Street NorthSuite 765

Birmingham, AL 35203


Phone

(800) 822-3307

(205) 458-8716


Website Address

http://www.abec.state.al.us/


Licensure:

  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

  • Associate Licensed Counselor (ALC)


Counselor Testing & Examination Process in Alabama


In Alabama, you’ll have to meet the following educational requirements to work as a substance abuse counselor.


Have a master’s degree in counseling, with a minimum of 48 semester hours at the graduate level. You can substitute with a minimum of 72 graduate quarter hours at a regionally accredited university or college. This university or college should be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.


Look at your previous course work. That will tell you what you need to list on your worksheet for reporting course work. In fact, you’ll need to complete this worksheet in the process of applying for a test date.


In fact, the two counselor levels (Associate Licensed Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor have similar requirements.


Clinical Supervision Explained


As a substance abuse counselor, you’re going to be supervised, even if you have a master’s degree and all of the other required certifications. This is required, not only in Alabama, but other states as well.


Your supervisor will be required to provide supervision for you and your colleagues as you work with your clients. That supervision will be required in different areas of your daily work. Some will be in the 12 core functions, as well as in other areas of your work.


The higher your certifications go, the more hours of supervised work you’ll be required to complete. That is, you’ll have to undergo 150 clinical supervision hours as an associate addictions professional; as a certified addictions counselor, these hours double.


At first, check your state licensing needs then comply with the reminders listed here to release your therapy occupation. A substance abuse counselor is a psychological health specialist who assists people handling dependencies. The major responsibility is to function with people in addition to their households to deal with both mental as well as likewise emotional problems, in addition to advertise total mental health.


They take care of psychological problems, such as stress and anxiety, addiction as well as substance abuse, suicidal impulses, tension and likewise overall problems with self-regard along with discomfort. Also described as alcohol as well as drug treatment, these experts work independently with his/her individuals or in team therapy sessions depending upon the sort of therapy needed. The goal is to help a consumer figure out the situations along with behaviors that cause regression along with blocking the roadway to recovery.


In a lot of cases, a dependence therapist might also carry out programs or useful sessions that reveal not only their consumers, yet similarly family as well as buddies of patients worrying dependency, behavior conditions, dealing methods, indications of reliance, along with exactly how to prevent devastating behaviors. Psychological wellness specialists operate in a selection of environments as well as settings and also with a varied group of people.


Reliance treatment as well as likewise drug treatment is provided normally in medical care centers like state, neighborhood, as well as private medical facilities or secretive practices. Prisons, probation as well as likewise parole companies, cleansing centers, midway residences, in addition to teenage detention centers are furthermore usual offices for substance abuse counselors. Mental wellness counselors additionally work very carefully with various other health and wellness experts, such as psychiatrists, psycho therapists, medical social workers, emotional registered nurses and college counselors.


Requirements for an exclusive method typically contain the final thought of a master's degree in therapy. You may also need to complete at least two years or 3,000 hrs of monitored expert experience past the master's program. A substance abuse therapy graduate program prepares trainees with capacities as well as comprehending troubling in-treatment and additionally avoidance strategies for reliance customers.


Choose just regionally acknowledged establishments if you mean to get approved for an APA-approved in the future in your task. To get approved for these programs, prospective students must contend at least a bachelor's level in a treatment or psychology-related field, in addition to some work experience. Lots of programs in addition call for scores from the Grad Document Exam (GRE). Making a level in treatment or scientific psychology is just half the fight.


Requirements for drug counselors in Alabama are very similar to requirements for any other profession. There are several requirements that must be met in order to practice as a counselor in the state of Alabama. As a drug counselor, your requirements for becoming certified can be different from those of other professions, though.


Being a drug counselor is not as easy as it sounds. It is important to be prepared for the tough and often long process in order to become a certified drug counselor. Your education, experience, and certification will determine the number of credits you will need to take and the number of hours it will take to complete the program.


The educational requirements for becoming a drug counselor vary depending on your chosen school, as well as the type of program you choose to attend. Your requirements for becoming a drug counselor in Alabama include completing your undergraduate degree, which includes coursework such as English, Math, History, Social Studies, Biology, and chemistry. You must complete at least 30 credit hours in your undergraduate studies to be eligible to apply for a teaching certification, which will enable you to teach in an educational setting.


Requirements for becoming a drug counselor in Alabama include completion of a graduate program in psychology or human services, which will include courses such as clinical psychology, social work, or mental health administration. You will need to complete two years of graduate studies before you can apply to become a licensed therapist or counselor. After you have passed the requirements for becoming a licensed therapist or counselor, you will be able to practice as a therapist or counselor in most states of the United States.


Requirements for becoming an addiction counselor in Alabama include a minimum of two years of graduate studies and one year of bachelor's degree program. You will need to complete at least two years of graduate education and a minimum of two years of bachelor's education in your chosen field of study, which is Psychology or Human Services. You will also need to complete a minimum of four years of study in an accredited university in the field of study of psychology or human services in order to be certified as an addiction counselor.


Requirements for becoming an addiction counselor in Alabama also include a minimum of two years of graduate study and at least one year of bachelor's degree program, with an emphasis on clinical practice in addiction treatment. for mental disorders or a specified substance. substance abuse disorders.


There are some requirements for becoming a substance abuse counselor in Alabama that are waived if you are already a licensed therapist or counselor. These include completion of a Master's Degree in Human Services and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology.


How to Become a Drug Counselor in Alabama is not difficult to attain, though. Each state has specific requirements for becoming a therapist or counselor in each state. You may be required to take more education and training in order to become a certified therapist or counselor in your state of residency. However, you will be required to meet the basic requirements of education in order to become a certified drug counselor in Alabama.


A course on how to become a drug counselor in Alabama is provided by the State Board of Education, Department of Public Safety and Department of Corrections. You must complete a course of study in substance abuse, as well as complete a course in mental health. In order to become a certified drug counselor, you must have completed a minimum of two years of training, including courses in clinical training.


You must also complete a course on how to become a drug counselor in Alabama in order to become licensed. You will need to complete a minimum of two years of training in the clinical training before you can apply for a license as a counselor. After you have completed the training, you will be able to practice as a counselor or therapist in most states of the United States, but not in all states.


You must also complete a course on how to become a drug counselor in Alabama in order to become a registered therapist or counselor. You will be required to complete a minimum of three years of training in the clinical training, including classes in clinical training, counseling psychology, social work, or psychiatric nursing.


Renewal and Continuing Education


The Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling oversees acceptable professional development activities for every continuing education activity. This has been set up to protect individual counselors as well as their employers.


If you find an educational activity that has not been authorized by any examiners board in Alabama, all you need to do is ask. Before you take part in the seminar or convention, have the approval from the Board of Examiners so you can apply those CE hours to your bi-annual licensing paperwork.


Potential Counselor Career Path Options


  • Addiction Counselor

  • Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselor

  • Behavioral Health Specialist

  • Certified Addiction Drug and Alcohol Counselor

  • Chemical Dependency Counselor

  • Mental Health Counselor

  • School Counselor

  • Substance Abuse Counselor


Associations & Organizations


Substance abuse counselors, counseling and mental health students who wish to work in this field rely on state associations to guide their career goals, certifications and job searches.


In Alabama, this association is the Association for Addiction Professionals. The state association is the Alabama Association of Addiction Counselors (AAAC). NAADAC vets education providers and education programs. It is responsible for certifications and its state membership.


The Alabama Counseling Association guides community and professional service for counselors overall.