Certification or Licensing
The NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals offers several professional designations including national certified addiction counselor, master addiction counselor, nicotine and tobacco treatment, adolescent addictions counselor, and national certified peer recovery support specialist. Additionally, the National Board for Certified Counselors offers the master addiction counselor designation to counselors who hold the national certified counselor designation and meet educational and professional experience requirements.
Currently, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have credentialing laws for alcohol and drug abuse counselors. These laws typically require that counselors have a minimum of a master’s degree and two to three years of post academic supervised counseling experience. Candidates must also have passed a written test.
Other Requirements
Aside from having a master’s degree, counselors must have two to three years of post-academic supervised counseling experience. They must also pass a written test.
- Addiction Therapists
- Adult Day Care Coordinators
- Behavioral Health Technicians
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- Child Life Specialists
- Clinic Managers
- Community Health Nurses
- Community Health Program Coordinators
- Community Health Workers
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Conflict Resolution Specialists
- Contact Tracers
- Creative Arts Therapists
- Dietetic Technicians
- Directors of Volunteers
- Geriatric Care Managers
- Geriatric Nurses
- Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Geriatric Social Workers
- Grant Coordinators and Writers
- Grief Therapists
- Health Advocates
- HIV/AIDS Counselors and Case Managers
- Home Health Care Aides
- Home Health Care and Hospice Nurses
- Hospice Workers
- Human Services Workers
- Music Therapists
- Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists
- Nursing Home Administrators
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides
- Orientation and Mobility Specialists
- Personal Care Aides
- Psychologists
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Recreational Therapists
- Rehabilitation Counselors
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Social Workers
- Tutors and Trainers