Addiction Counselor Careers

Addiction counselors engage addicts and former addicts with a range of services, including medical help, long-term therapy and group therapy. They assist with immediate problem-solving for housing, job placement and insurance. Levels of education and training differ depending on the type of counseling, and salaries vary widely depending on location, economic factors, insurance coverage and funding. Addiction counselors can start at a basic level and advance to higher levels of addiction counseling such as therapy and nursing.

Basic counselor

• Basic addiction counselors deal with short-term support.

  The most basic level of addiction counseling requires anywhere from a high school diploma to a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, social work or a related field. Basic addiction counseling can involve individual, group or family work. Issues of concern include helping the individual identify addictive behaviors, problem-solving around relating to loved ones, developing day-to-day coping mechanisms and general support in the recovery process. This work is usually short-term and can take place in inpatient or outpatient settings.

Therapist

• Though requirements to become a therapist vary from state to state, a therapist is a master or doctorate level counselor who is licensed by the state. Therapists are trained to apply official psychiatric diagnoses and are covered by many insurance policies. Addiction therapy is usually more long-term than basic counseling and explores the addict's past, their complicated behaviors, challenges of recovery and other factors that might have led to addiction.

Addiction nurse

• Addiction nursing is an important and specialized field.

  Addiction nurses help addicts in hospital settings with the immediate health issues of detoxification and recovery. They are registered nurses with specific training and experience with the physical and mental aspects of addiction. They counsel recovering addicts regarding these issues and may lead outpatient groups to educate addicts and their loved ones.

Case manager

• Case managers counsel individuals regarding the practical issues of recovery. They work both in hospitals and outpatient settings, connecting addicts with doctors, therapists, support groups, insurance benefits and other services. Because many addicts lose their job or home, case managers counsel them about housing and job placement services. In hospitals, case managers help recovering addicts plan a course of action for life after discharge. Many case managers have a bachelor degree supplemented by field experience, but others, called clinical case managers, have training and licenses similar to that of therapists.