Become a Substance Abuse Counselor
Graduates of the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Counseling: Addiction Counseling Specialization will be eligible to become licensed substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in the state of California and other states. Addicted individuals rely on professional counselors specializing in addiction to help them overcome their dependency and work towards self-sufficiency. An addiction counselor may also work closely with the client’s family as substance abuse can also affect the loved ones of the chemically dependent client.
Addiction counselors have rewarding careers in mental health agencies, in their private practices, in government agencies, in management roles, and in clinical research settings studying mental health. The rate of substance abuse and alcohol addiction, depression, and other mental health conditions has climbed in record numbers in recent years.
What makes the M.A. in Counseling: Addiction Counseling program different?
- 100% online Master’s in Counseling with no residency required
- Scholar-practitioner faculty
- Affordable tuition from a Nonprofit Accredited University
- Accelerated format of 8-week sessions with six starts annually
- No GRE required and an accelerated admissions process
- Two year average time to completion as full-time student
In Touro University Worldwide’s online Master of Arts in Counseling program, students gain the knowledge, skills, and hands-on practice in treating individuals with addiction and dependency disorders, allowing them to build the tools needed to become compassionate, skilled substance abuse counselors. Moreover, students gain clinical counseling skills that focus on promoting client mental health wellness to sustain recovery.
This graduate degree specializing in addiction counseling provides a high-quality, hands-on professional education that can foster the well-being of the diverse, underserved individuals struggling to overcome chemical dependency and to join an in-demand profession making a positive contribution to the larger community.
Note: Students are required to check the requirements for the specific state in which licensure is sought, as each state may be different.
- Student Agreement and Notice for State Licensure Requirement
- Master in Counseling Licensure by State
Help Others Through Addiction Recovery With an Online Master’s in Counseling
Touro University Worldwide’s Master of Arts in Counseling degree with Addiction Counseling specialization explores the assessment and treatment of substance abuse. This online program prepares graduates to meet the licensure requirements to become substance abuse counselors in California and other states.
What Can You Do With a Master’s in Counseling – Addiction Counseling Specialization
Earning a Master of Arts in Counseling – Addiction Counseling Specialization from Touro University Worldwide prepares graduates for positions where they can work with individuals, families and groups. Graduates also are eligible to become licensed substance abuse and Licensed Professional Counselors/Licensed Mental Health Counselors in the state of California and other states. Potential job titles include:
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Substance Abuse Treatment Program Director
- Behavioral Health Counselor
- Counseling Services Coordinator
- Addiction Counselor
- Rehabilitation Counselor
- Professional Clinical Counselor
- Mental Health Counselor
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the median annual salary for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors is $49,710. The BLS projects an 18% job growth in the field over the next decade. The online TUW MA in Addiction Counseling prepares graduates with skills and knowledge they need for success in this in-demand field.
BLS salary source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.htm#tab-1
Core Requirements
60 Semester Credits
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to examine historical and contemporary theories of counseling to assist students in developing their personal theoretical orientation, to help in client conceptualization, and to identify appropriate counseling interventions. The course will also cover counselors’ multi-disciplinary roles, responsibilities, and relationships as members of specialized practice and inter-professional teams including issues related to collaboration, consultation, and community outreach especially in crises, emergencies, and disasters.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an introduction to professional, ethical, legal, theoretical, cultural, social, and practice aspects of counseling. Students will learn about underlying theories and responsibilities of counselors, such as counselor-client, privilege, confidentiality, if the client is a danger to self or others, treatment of minors with or without parental consent, and the significance in professional organizations and associations in preparation of professional standards. Ethical decision-making models are introduced and explored within a counseling context coupled with historical, cultural and advocacy and their contributions associated to contemporary emergent issues. This course aligns with CACREP’s Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice foundational curricula area, with particular focus on California laws, ethics, and practice standards.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of human lifespan development within the profession of counseling. The course addresses theories of individual and family development, both typical and atypical, across the entire lifespan. Students will conceptualize individuals based on the biological, neurological, systemic, and environmental factors that contribute towards their normal development, disability or psychopathology. Special emphasis covered in the course are strategies for promoting resilience and wellness across the lifespan including cultural and individual differences.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course reviews underlying theories relevant to diversity to aid students in developing awareness, knowledge, and skills specific to counselors-in-training preparing to work with a variety of diverse clients including but not limited to Native American, East Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanics, and other diverse cultures. Also, the course will provide awareness of social and cultural diversity to include but not limited to acculturation, cultural identity, multiculturalism, interculturalism, religiosity, spirituality, sexism, and sexual diversities. Students will develop cultural self-awareness along with advocating via the reduction or elimination of intentional (or unintentional) biases and prejudices.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of major career development theories, vocational guidance, decision making models, and occupational/educational information sources. Students learn about career development, program planning, and evaluation relevant to counselors. Special emphasis is placed on how career counseling and vocational guidance are practiced by professional counselors in rehabilitation programs, job placement agencies, and adult vocational training programs.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course is useful for counselors in training on the concepts and skills necessary to understand and lead counseling groups in various settings. The students will explore different theoretical approaches to counseling groups which include basic principles of group dynamics such as leadership tasks, group developmental stages, member roles, and therapeutic factors of group work. Additionally, students will meet for a minimum of 10 clock hours in a small-group activity that is designed to provide direct experiences as a participant in a small group setting in order to prepare counselors in training for personal development.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of the broad range of psychological disorders that are linked or triggered by co-occurring chemical dependency or medical conditions along with the proper methods of identifying the psychological disorders based on the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria. Special topics include the causes, prevalence, symptoms, criteria, and multi-cultural considerations for mental health diagnoses affecting adolescents and adults who are suffering psychological disorders along with the considerations for the continuum of care for these clients.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course provides an overview of standardized test development and procedures, applications and limitations of standardized tests, techniques of administering individual/group tests in relation to counseling. Moreover, students learn about interpreting assessment instruments and profiles along with communication strategies with clients, parents, school personnel, and other relevant professionals. The course is based on providing students with awareness of standardized tests but students are not provided with competence to administer these standardized tests as specialized training would be required.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research methods for the purposes of critiquing counseling psychology research and thus become discerning consumers of published research. Students also learn statistical methods and other data analysis strategies for evaluating evidence-based substance abuse treatment outcomes for clients applicable in community mental health settings. Moreover, students learn how to conduct a needs assessment and program evaluation for their specific counseling setting.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of clinical psychopharmacology for substance abuse counselors. This course orient students to counseling for substance abuse treatment with the fundamentals of psychotropic drugs such as drug mechanisms of action, drug classifications, drug interactions, and adverse psychological and behavioral side effects along with appropriate guidance counselors need for medical referral and consultation relevant to substance abuse treatment.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course provides students with the history and development of addiction counseling. Students explore the factors that increase the likelihood for a person, community, or group to be at risk or resilient to psychoactive substance use disorders. Moreover, students learn about professional counseling organizations, credentials, legal and ethical considerations, record keeping, evaluation, treatment, and other practice and management considerations that specifically apply in addiction counseling. Additional topics include principles of abstinence and harm reduction models of addiction recovery along with role of spirituality in the addiction recovery process.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course provides an overview of crisis theories along with multidisciplinary responses to crises, emergencies, or disasters. Students will learn about cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and neurological effects associated with trauma along with how they trigger substance abuse disorders. Students also explore brief, intermediate, and long-term treatment strategies to manage trauma along with the proper assessment strategies for clients who have experienced trauma. Students also learn about suicide risk prevention and intervention.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course addresses advanced theories and models of treating substance abuse addiction clients. The students will learn about evaluating and identifying individualized strategies and treatment modalities relative to clients’ stage of substance dependence, motivation for change, or recovery. In addition, students examine strategies for enhancing client motivation to change, managing cravings, and preventing relapse in addition to learning about recovery support tools and systems, such as vocation, family, social networks, and community systems. Special topics include legal standards, regulatory processes, continuum of care, and service delivery in addiction counseling.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students apply culturally competent skills working with clients while closely being supervised by a TUW faculty supervisor, via live classroom sessions, and an on-site counseling supervisor. Students are observed and evaluated as they engage in a wide range of counseling-related activities. This is the first of a 2-part course, where the program requires students to work towards earning the mandated minimum 100 clock hours in a supervised counseling practicum experience, which includes 40 face-to-face hours. In addition, students apply advanced coursework to complement the clinical practicum. (Prerequisite CNL 626A)
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is the second course in clinical practicum where counselors apply culturally competent skills working with clients while closely being supervised by a TUW faculty supervisor, via live classroom sessions, and an on-site counseling supervisor. Students are observed and evaluated as they engage in a wide range of counseling-related activities. This is the second of a 2-part course, where students are finalizing the program’s mandated minimum 100 clock hours in a supervised counseling practicum experience, which includes 40 face-to-face hours. Similar to Clinical Practicum I, students apply advanced coursework to complement the clinical practicum.
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This set of courses provides students opportunities to apply their diagnostic and counseling skills, training, and knowledge with increasing autonomy as guided by a TUW faculty supervisor, via live classroom sessions, and an on-site counseling supervisor with emphasis in the student’s area of counseling specialization. Students are observed and evaluated as they engage in a wide range of counseling-related activities, advanced coursework and or relevant additional coursework including applicable California Codes of Regulation. Students can complete the four (4) clinical internship courses in 8-week terms to achieve the required 600 clock hours to complete the program. (Prerequisite CNL 626B)
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This set of courses provides students opportunities to apply their diagnostic and counseling skills, training, and knowledge with increasing autonomy as guided by a TUW faculty supervisor, via live classroom sessions, and an on-site counseling supervisor with emphasis in the student’s area of counseling specialization. Students are observed and evaluated as they engage in a wide range of counseling-related activities, advanced coursework and or relevant additional coursework including applicable California Codes of Regulation. Students can complete the four (4) clinical internship courses in 8-week terms to achieve the required 600 clock hours to complete the program. (Prerequisite CNL 628A)
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This set of courses provides students opportunities to apply their diagnostic and counseling skills, training, and knowledge with increasing autonomy as guided by a TUW faculty supervisor, via live classroom sessions, and an on-site counseling supervisor with emphasis in the student’s area of counseling specialization. Students are observed and evaluated as they engage in a wide range of counseling-related activities, advanced coursework and or relevant additional coursework including applicable California Codes of Regulation. Students can complete the four (4) clinical internship courses in 8-week terms to achieve the required 600 clock hours to complete the program. (Prerequisite CNL 628B)
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This set of courses provides students opportunities to apply their diagnostic and counseling skills, training, and knowledge with increasing autonomy as guided by a TUW faculty supervisor, via live classroom sessions, and an on-site counseling supervisor with emphasis in the student’s area of counseling specialization. Students are observed and evaluated as they engage in a wide range of counseling-related activities, advanced coursework and or relevant additional coursework including applicable California Codes of Regulation. Students can complete the four (4) clinical internship courses in 8-week terms to achieve the required 600 clock hours to complete the program. (Prerequisite CNL 628C)
CREDITS
3
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Capstone course is the culmination of the student’s Master of Arts in Counseling: Addiction Counseling Specialization degree program and is taken in the last session of the student’s program. The Capstone course assesses the achievement of all the Program Learning Outcomes. Students complete a Capstone assignment and have an opportunity to take practice exams in preparation for the counseling licensure exam. The Capstone will be reviewed by the primary faculty providing oversight of the Capstone course and may serve as a tool for the student’s future clinical practice.
CREDITS
3
Credit Hours
60
Class Type
100% online, 8-week courses*
Scholarship
For a Limited time, Tuition is $400 Per Credit after scholarship. Apply Today!
Transfer Credits
Transfer in up to 9 credits
Accreditation
WSCUC
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An Affordable Counseling Master’s Degree
For the Addiction Counseling program, TUW’s tuition is $400 per semester credit. A range of tuition assistance programs are available to prospective students to help reduce the out-of-pocket expenses associated with continued education, including scholarships and student loans.
Many employers offer tuition assistance programs, so speak with your human resource representative to find out if additional financial support is available to you to fund your degree specializing in addiction counseling. TUW tuition assistance counselors are available to determine your eligibility for financial aid and other tuition assistance programs.