Associate of Applied Science

Substance Use Counseling Assistant

Be a big part of the solution. Get the knowledge and skills you’ll need to assist a licensed counselor in helping individuals struggling with substance use and addiction on the road to recovery.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AS A SUBSTANCE USE COUNSELING ASSISTANT

You will work side-by-side with licensed substance use counselors to assist patients and families suffering from the effects of using alcohol, prescription medication, and other drugs. Many graduates of the Substance Use Counseling Assistant program now work in the recovery field in positions such as behavioral rehab specialists, recovery coaches, peer recovery support specialists, and more.

As a Substance Use Counseling Assistant, your primary role will be to help manage day-to-day activities of the counselors and the office. Depending on the needs of your specific counselors, these duties can include tasks such as:

• Scheduling and managing appointments
• Interviewing new patients
• Sitting in on appointments to assist the counselor
• Helping counselors communicate with patients
• Coordinating with rehabilitation centers or human service agencies, when necessary
• Administering medications and document prescription logs for patients
• Counseling families of patients and providing educational information
• Assisting the counselor in the development of treatment programs to encourage rehabilitation and recovery

A SAMPLE OF WHAT YOU’LL BE STUDYING

You will study the foundational psychology of substance use and addiction, learning the intricate relationships between development, trauma, and addiction. You’ll delve into the laws and ethics regarding drug use and learn the finer points of case management, individual and group counseling, adolescent addiction, and much more. At the end of the program, you’ll gain invaluable, hands-on experience in the field by completing a substance use externship.

Upon completion of the Substance Use Counseling Assistant program, you’ll be prepared to start working with recovering individuals, or to continue your education at a four-year institution working toward degrees in counseling, social work, etc.

YOUR TIME & COST COMMITMENT