Substance Abuse Counselor Training in Alabama - AL

By Laura Wrede, allied health world contributing writer
Published: August, 9 2010

The substance abuse counselor training in Alabama will prepare you with the practical knowledge needed to become a professional counselor. Your first course of action is deciding how much education you want. For your degree, you can attend a traditional university in Alabama, or enroll in online educational programs. Some students want to move into the workforce as quickly as possible, while others want to maximize their potential future career choices. If the latter is your goal, you will want to choose a master’s degree program that meets the Alabama Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (AADAA) requirements. One such degree is an MS in Counseling and Psychology with a Substance Abuse Specialty. Your master’s program includes courses such as:

• Physiological Dynamics of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs
• Drug Education and Rehabilitation
• Treatment of Addictive Family Diseases
• Treatment Theories and Modalities of Addictive Disease
• Fundamentals of Counseling
• Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling
• Rehabilitation Delivery and Process

Seeking a program that meets the certification requirements laid out by the AADAA is the goal. While you are working on your degree program, you will also need to log the required hours in “Twelve Core Function areas” according to the AADAA. These hours are broken down as follows:

• Work Experience- 6,000 hours of work experience
• Clinical Supervision- 300 hours in the 12 Core Functions
• 6 hours of ethics education and 4 hours of AIDS/HIV education

The Agape Center in Alabama is a good source for field experience opportunities. (www.theagapecenter.com/Treatment-Centers/Alabama.htm)

Substance Abuse Counselor Schools in Alabama

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South University - Campus

[Campus]

Locations:

• Montgomery

Programs:

• Professional Counseling (MA)
• Psychology (BA)

Quick Summary: As a student at South University, you will learn from accomplished faculty members who have real-world experience in the subjects that they teach. Our small class sizes allow you to receive personalized attention from instructors, and the encouragement to recognize your goals for the future and the means to achieve them.

University of Phoenix

[Campus]

Locations:

• Columbus
• Chattanooga

Programs:

• BS in Psychology

Quick Summary: At University of Phoenix, we believe everyone deserves access to higher education.