To have a career in addiction counseling, you must be dedicated to your educational growth. To become an addiction counselor, you must hold — at a minimum — a bachelor's degree that includes supervised, clinical hours. Some common degree offerings for those interested in this field include bachelors’ in psychology, sociology or counseling.
In pursuing an online Master of Science in Addiction Counseling, there are some things you should know about the process in earning this kind of degree. Here is an overview of the online master’s degree in addiction counseling:
- Accredited hours within graduate degree program
- Financial aid, grants and veterans benefits available for those who qualify
- Full-time degree program (24 months) alongside part-time job options
- Orientation courses provided
- Residencies on campus combined with interactive and classroom instruction
- Start dates of convenience including May, January and September
While you are pursuing this degree, you could also be working toward helping individuals and developing strategies to make their lives better. The Master of Science in Addiction Counseling at Grand Canyon University follows a specific and detailed curriculum that is developed to benefit students using fact-based assessments within substance abuse. This degree is offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and combines hands-on classroom instruction with professional, real-world experience. Through this curriculum, students will discover and observe the following:
- Professional ethics and methods
- Counseling theories and principles
- Chemical dependency within adults and adolescents
- Psychopharmacology
- Clinical analysis
Most of the coursework in this advanced degree program is conducted online with our highly qualified instructors. A few of the courses include:
- Introduction to Addictions and Substance Abuse
- Co-occurring Disorders in Counseling
- Cultural Diversity Issues in Counseling
Within these online courses, students will learn about:
- The stages, processes and effects of substance use disorders, as well as the professional’s role in prevention, intervention and aftercare
- Screening, assessing and treating individuals with co-occurring disorders and associated strategies for risk management
- Theories of multicultural counseling, multicultural competencies and strategies for working with diverse populations, including immigrants and refugees
- Major counseling theories and principles, including existential psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral, reality therapy/choice therapy and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT)
By earning a particular addiction studies degree, students can prepare for a specialized career. One example is the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health with an Emphasis in Childhood and Adolescence Disorders degree. In becoming a mental health counselor, this field helps support children of the next generation and develops a foundation of knowledge and clinical skills that can be used to benefit younger individuals.
Many of the courses in this degree program were created to meet the academic requirements established by the following entities:
- National Board for Certified Counselors for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential
- Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) credential
- Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners
By earning this degree, you can have a positive influence on young children’s lives by learning how to identify and treat substance use disorders with effective communication and counsel.
