Substance Abuse Counseling in Delaware

In Delaware, if you've earned a traditional or online substance abuse counseling degree or a similar degree, you'll be qualified for several substance abuse counseling careers. 

If you have earned just a bachelor's degree, you probably will not meet the state's educational requirements to become a certified counselor. However, your degree will prepare you for nonclinical roles related to substance misuse and chemical dependency. For example, you could work in a city or county agency as a health education specialist or community health worker. With several years of experience, you could move into a leadership role as a health or community services manager.

However, if your sights are set on offering substance abuse counseling in Delaware, you will probably need a master's degree to meet the state's criteria for licensure. You'll be able to work as a counseling trainee while you're accruing the required number of hours of experience to become certified.

Delaware has just one type of substance abuse counseling certification for those who want to provide chemical dependency counseling. Licensed professionals in this state are called Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC).

To become a substance use counselor in Delaware, you need to undergo extensive training. The Delaware Certification Board's first requirement is 300 hours of relevant education, including six hours on ethics. Technically, you need only an associate degree in substance abuse counseling or counseling to become a CADC, but most applicants earn both a bachelor's and a master's in order to meet the educational requirements.

Whether you decide to earn on-campus or online substance abuse counseling degrees, they should be earned at institutionally accredited schools. If you need to earn a master's degree to finish accumulating the required 300 hours, you'll find fully accredited schools on our lists of the best online substance abuse counseling master's degrees and the most affordable online substance abuse counseling degrees.

The board's second requirement is prior work experience. Specifically, you must provide verified documentation that you have accumulated 5,000 hours of part-time work experience as a drug and alcohol counselor, as well as 250 hours of on-the-job, supervised clinical practice. 

The final requirement is a passing score on the Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor Exam offered by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC).

Yes, Delaware does have reciprocity for substance use counselors from other states. Licensed counselors who would like to provide in-person or online substance abuse counseling in Delaware need to meet two criteria: One, they must have had a license in good standing for the last five years. Two, their home state's licensure requirements must be similar to those of Delaware. The state board reviews all applications and informs counselors from other states if they are eligible to legally provide counseling for substance abuse.

In Delaware, substance use, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors as a group earn a mean annual salary of $52,170, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although there are currently about 1,610 of these three types of professionals working in the state, ProjectionsCentral projects a substantial 35% increase in counseling jobs between 2020 and 2030.