Best Educational Programs in Idaho for Licensed Substance Abuse Counselors

This certification is for counselors who hold their GED, high school diploma, or a college degree and current license as a substance use disorder/ addiction counselor or professional counselor — Mental health counseling, social work, marriage and family therapist or LAP-C Training and examinations should also include at least six hours of ethics education and training, taken within the past six years. They will also need to take and pass at least six hours of HIV or other pathogen education and training within the past six years.

They must all earn a passing score on one of the following two exams:

Must hold a master’s degree (or higher) in substance use disorders or addiction and/or other related counseling subjects such as mental health counseling or marriage and family therapist from an institution holding regional accreditation. They must hold a current license or credential as one of the above, or as a Professional Counselor I (mental health, social worker, psychologist or marriage and family therapist).

To obtain this licensure, the Master Addiction Counselor must also have six hours of ethics training, obtained within the past six years and six hours of HIV or other pathogenic training from within the past six years.

They must all have earned passing scores on one of these exams:

Geriatric counselors work with older adults who may experience age-specific challenges as they grow older. This counselor knows that individuals in this age group experience physical and mental effects that make their aging process more difficult to handle.

For example, as adults grow older, they may begin to experience symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Because these conditions cause so many issues for family members, the counselor may work with them as well. Older people may also experience losses in their visual and verbal memories, immediate memory, vision, hearing, and even body strength, which can cause distress for those who are unprepared to handle these shifts in their lives and abilities.

Child counselors work with children who may be experiencing mental or emotional issues. They perform assessments and may offer diagnoses. They may treat children with emotional, social, or mental disorders ranging from mild to severe.

Child counselors work with the children and their families, showing them that the child can be happy and achieve success in their daily lives and that children with mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders can still reach their developmental milestones with help. In working with a child, they may develop an individualized treatment plan for them.

Military counselors work with members of the military by providing clinical mental health counseling to them. The military wants to ensure the good health of its personnel and this often means maintaining the good mental health of all military branches.

Members of the military may seek out treatment for a variety of reasons such as anger management, depression, anxiety, or problems with substance abuse. Military counselors are intimately familiar with the stresses of the military culture. Soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines have been committing suicide in numbers that are still increasing. Military counselors may also train officers and commanders how to recognize signs of emotional or mental distress in their troops.

Residential counselors work with groups of people who live in rehabilitation centers, shelters, or even assisted living facilities. They may work with the residential clients on their daily needs (meal preparation, housekeeping, and grooming). The counselors also provide companionship and emotional support to residents who are having a hard time coping.

Residential counselors should possess a high level of emotional intelligence. Strong interpersonal skills help them interact with clients who may be having difficulty with their emotions. Being passionate about serving others who need their help is a big plus.

Throughout their day, they supervise residents and make sure they are safe, offer community resources to the residents, and work as a member of a team to ensure that all residents experience the best quality of life possible.

“There is no right way to grieve. And there is no set time for grieving. It takes as long as it takes.” Grief counselors know this, and they work to communicate it to their clients who have suffered a significant loss in their lives. This may be through divorce, a job loss, or losing a beloved family member.

Grief counselors work with their clients to develop coping strategies. They may also have to fulfill additional requirements so they can help their clients learn to adjust to their loss. A Master of Arts in Counseling may help them to reach their career goal.