2023 Best Online Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees in Nebraska

If you've earned an in-person or online substance abuse counseling degree, you may be wondering what sort of career opportunities are available to you in the state of Nebraska. Your options include both clinical roles working directly with individuals and nonclinical support roles.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 1,600 substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors currently working in Nebraska. As a group, they earn a mean annual salary of $54,200, and demand is expected to grow by 20.4% through 2030. Although you don't need a degree to become an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) in the state, a bachelor's or master's may qualify you for more advanced positions with higher pay.

If you're more interested in nonclinical roles, you may want to apply for positions at a local or state government agency or nonprofit organization. By working as a community health worker or a health education specialist, you'll be supporting your community by overseeing programs, making educational presentations, and perhaps raising money for your organization.

In Nebraska, the Office of Behavioral Health and Consumer Services within the state's Department of Health and Human Services manages licensure for all counseling professionals. The process of obtaining a license to practice substance use counseling in Nebraska is fairly straightforward, as there is only one level of substance abuse counseling certification.

Becoming a substance use counselor in Nebraska involves several steps. After you've completed your education requirements but are still accumulating the required number of hours of work experience to be a fully licensed professional, you'll need a Provisional Alcohol and Drug Counselor license. Once you've fulfilled the work experience requirement, you'll need to pass an exam so you can upgrade to the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) license.

The specific requirements for becoming an ADC are:

• 270 hours of college coursework covering the 12 core functions of counseling, such as screening, treatment planning, and referrals
• 6,000 hours of paid, supervised substance abuse counseling
• A passing score on the ADC exam sponsored by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC)

It's important to note that your college coursework must be completed at an institutionally accredited school. If you would like to continue your education with an online degree or even just online courses, you may be interested in our lists of accredited online programs. These include the best online substance abuse counseling bachelor's degrees, the most affordable online substance abuse counseling bachelor's degrees, the best online substance abuse counseling master's degrees, and the most affordable online substance abuse counseling master's degrees. 

Once you've obtained your ADC certification, you'll need to renew your license every two years. As part of that process, you'll need to complete 40 hours of continuing education, half of which must be specific to alcohol and drug counseling.

Yes, Nebraska may have reciprocity for substance use counselors from other states. If you are a licensed alcohol and drug counselor in good standing from a state that is a member of IC&RC, you may be able to transfer your credentials to Nebraska. You can contact IC&RC or the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for additional information.

In Nebraska, you don't necessarily have to earn a degree to be licensed to offer in-person or online substance abuse counseling. However, to obtain a license, you will need to provide documentation that you've completed 270 hours (at least 18 college courses) that cover the 12 core functions of counseling. These functions include intake processes, treatment planning, counseling, case management, and recordkeeping. To meet this requirement, you may want to consider earning an online bachelor's or online master's degree in substance abuse counseling or clinical counseling.