Becoming a Substance Abuse Counselor in Arkansas
Find Programs for Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees in Arkansas
With a background in counseling, you can work with couples and families, children, and people with mental health issues. However, the need for substance abuse counselors is often left unfulfilled.
The negative stigma that comes with substance abuse and addiction can make it hard to find and retain skilled counselors. In Arkansas, experts are seeing the illegal use of prescription drugs increase significantly with each passing year, leading some to call it a growing epidemic (ArkansasMatters.com, 2016).
By learning more about Arkansas substance abuse certification and degrees, you can dedicate your career to patients who desperately need your help.
Find out more by contacting addiction counselor Arkansas programs on the list below.
Substance Abuse Counselor Training in Arkansas
At the first level of certification, you may find LAC in counseling training Arkansas programs. With an undergraduate degree, there are some limitations to what types of cases you can take on and how much independence you have in your practice.
However, this is still an excellent way to become a certified substance abuse counselor and gain work experience before deciding whether or not you want to earn a Master’s degree.
A Bachelor’s in substance abuse counseling requires no fewer than 120 credits, which you may be able to complete in four or five years.
Bachelor‘s-Level Substance Abuse Counseling Courses
- Psychopharmacology of Alcohol and Drugs
- Case Management in Clinical Settings
- Health Psychology
- Psychology of Addiction
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Master’s in Substance Abuse Counseling—Arkansas Requirements
At Arkansas CADC/AODA training programs, you build on your undergraduate education to earn a Master’s degree in addiction counseling. This degree requires an additional two years of education after you complete your Bachelor’s degree.
In the courses found below, you may build your theoretical understanding of substance abuse and start mastering techniques for treatment and intervention. The majority of your training comes in the form of supervised practice. You may spend between 500 and 1,000 hours seeing patients under the supervision of a certified addiction counselor.
Addiction Counselor Arkansas Graduate Courses
- Addictions and the Recovery Process
- Biological Aspects of Addiction and Recovery
- Treatment and the Recovery Process
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Addiction Disorders
Substance Abuse Counselor Careers in Arkansas
Arkansas substance abuse counselor requirements vary at each level of certification. All professionals are overseen by the Arkansas Board of Examiners of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors. To become a Licensed Associate Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor, you only need a Bachelor’s degree. You do, however, need a Master’s degree to become a Licensed Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor.
As you compare substance abuse counselor careers, you may find that Arkansas has an extremely high demand for counselors and social workers. O*Net anticipates a 33% boost in substance abuse counselor job openings by the year 2024, while demand for substance abuse social workers may increase 26% during the same timeframe (2016).
Currently, substance abuse counselors claim an average annual income of $38,570 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). The average annual salary for a substance abuse social worker is $38,030 (BLS, 2016).
When you began working as a counselor, you may get the chance to help patients who believe they are beyond hope. They may have struggled with addiction their entire lives or they may feel that its grip on their lives is so strong that it cannot be broken.
By using evidence-based counseling techniques and adjusting your plan to fit each individual patient, you can contribute to public health efforts in Arkansas and give each patient the chance at a better life.
Take the first step in a rewarding counseling career now.
Contact Arkansas counselor training programs below.
