2023 Best Online Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees in Missouri

If you want to put your in-person or online substance abuse counseling degree to work in the state of Missouri, you'll find you have many career options for both clinical and nonclinical roles.

If you'd like to work directly with clients and provide substance use counseling, you can become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC). An associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in substance use counseling qualifies you for certification in this state.

However, with a bachelor's degree, you could also become a community health worker, health education specialist, or something similar. You will probably find the most job opportunities in government-sponsored agencies or nonprofit organizations, where you might oversee programs or develop educational presentations. With time and experience, you may qualify for higher-level managerial roles.

If you want to become a substance use counselor in Missouri, you'll need to work with the Missouri Counseling Board. The board provides a clear and convenient document detailing the four paths to becoming a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC).

If you have earned a master's degree in substance abuse counseling or a similar clinical subject, you will need 1,000 hours of relevant work experience, 300 hours of supervised practicum, and 180 contact hours of education. You'll also need a passing score on the ADC Exam II, which is sponsored by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). If you'd like to earn an online master's, you may be interested in our lists of the best online substance abuse counseling master's degrees and the most affordable online substance abuse counseling master's degrees, all of which are accredited degree programs.

If you hold a bachelor's degree in addiction counseling or something similar, you will need 2,000 hours of relevant work experience, 300 hours of supervised practicum, and 180 contact hours of education. You'll then need a passing score on the IC&RC ADC exam. Here again, if you're interested in earning an online bachelor's degree, you'll find accredited options on our lists of the best online substance abuse counseling bachelor's degrees and the most affordable online substance abuse counseling bachelor's degrees.

Applicants with associate degrees or without degrees need to meet all of the same training criteria, only with 3,000 or 4,000 hours of work experience, respectively. With this background, you'll also need to pass the ADC exam.

Once you've earned substance abuse counseling certification, you'll need to renew your CADC license every two years. To qualify for licensure renewal, you'll need to complete 40 hours of relevant continuing education.

Because Missouri is a member of the IC&RC, licensed and certified addiction counselors from other IC&RC member states may be able to transfer their counseling credentials to Missouri and vice versa. If you're a counselor in good standing and would like to offer in-person or online substance abuse counseling in the state, you can contact the IC&RC to initiate the reciprocity process. 

While the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish specific salary ranges for addiction counselors in Missouri, it does provide salary data for the 4,600 substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors currently working in the state. These professionals earn a mean annual wage of $47,200. ProjectionsCentral predicts a 13.8% growth in the number of substance abuse counseling jobs in Missouri through 2030.