If you are on the lookout for a career where you will get to help people, it may be a good idea to look into counseling courses. There are many types of counseling certifications you can go for and your choice depends on what you want to focus on. For people who want to focus more on the problems of substance abusers, it is a good idea to go for substance abuse counseling. But before you think this is all there is to making a decision, you have to think about the many pros and cons of getting substance abuse counselor certification. It may help you to take a look at the many career opportunities for substance abuse counsellors. As far as jobs go, you will not have a lack of jobs as a substance abuse counselor because the number of jobs available is predicted to increase. You need not worry about ending up jobless after spending so much money for a substance abuse counselor certification program. While it is true that you can become a substance abuse counselor with no more than a high school diploma, you will find yourself being passed over for the people who do. Another advantage of getting certification is that you can practice nationally which means even more job opportunities for you. You will find that this is a huge deal if you want to become a successful substance abuse counselor in other states. One thing you need to understand though is before you get your certification, you need to go for graduate studies. But this should not be a huge hindrance because there are many online graduate programs you can enroll for. You may even find substance abuse counseling programs to enroll in online.
Should the idea of counseling appeal to you and yet you hesitate to go for the one that focuses on substance abuse, you can choose from plenty of other careers. There are many people who have found fulfilling careers in grief counseling. You may still run across the occasional substance abuser but they will not be your sole focus. You may not work with substance abusers but you will still be working in a highly stressful environment.
You have to make sure you learn as much as you can before you make any rash decisions. You can go to that of website of AIHCP because they will have some very important information you will surely wish to see. While you are there, why not check out the certificate courses they have to offer? You should also see their requirements for each course and this is something you have to check out so you see if you qualify for the programs.
