Substance Abuse Counselor?

Published March 31, 2014

Question by ilikereadingbooks: Substance Abuse Counselor?
I’m going to become one and it takes a year and I want to become a psychologist so it’ll be great experience. How much does it pay to be a Substance Abuse Counselor? I live in California. Is it like 15 dollars an hour? What do you do for the job? My community college has the program and it’s only one year. It’s like 39 units INCLUDING the internship. Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by snowflake14
I think it depends on what state you are in. Many substance abuse programs are state run, so your salary depends on how much money the government gives to those programs. Other programs are non-profit programs and your salary will depend on how big the non-profit is and how much money they raise.
In CO, where I am, most Certified Alcohol/Substance Abuse Counselors make around $ 11.50/hour for entry level positions. There are 3 levels you can get to in CO. Level 1 takes 1 year, level 3 can take up to 3 or 4 years and they make quite a bit more, upwards of $ 20-$ 25/hour..
Since it sounds like you are wanting to become a psychologist, I wonder if it wouldn’t be more advantageous to you to just enroll in a Ph.D program. You will tons of experience with substance abuse through field placement and internships. Ph.D programs take so long, you would just be dragging your education out longer if you took this year to do the substance abuse education.
Just a thought! =)

The Clinical Assessment of Substance Use Disorders – role-modeling the initial visit — This video is an excerpt from the free on-line resource “The Clinical Assessment of Substance Use Disorders” http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/nida/ which was c…