| I had an associate write me the other day and | | | | people are messed up these days not just |
| they said, "My best friend passed on from using | | | | because of the economy, but because the |
| drugs recently, and I've always had a calling to | | | | government is losing the war on drugs. For every |
| become a Substance Abuse Counselor, but after | | | | drug bust they make, 25 shipments get through |
| yesterday, it is something that I'm really bent on | | | | and proliferated all throughout the United States. |
| doing now. What are the basic qualifications to | | | | What this means is many more Drug Addicts and |
| become one? Is an associates or bachelors | | | | a rising need for physical and mental health care. |
| degree required? Any advice would be highly | | | | This is where your skills are needed. |
| appreciated. Thanks so much in advance for your | | | | And if you have a B.S. in Psychology and you get |
| time." | | | | turned down for a government job, you'll find that |
| Here's what I told them. This depends on where | | | | this degree will automatically qualify you for a |
| you want to seek employment. Most places will | | | | variety of government office jobs. And you can |
| require a Masters Degree in Counseling | | | | use your degree to serve in the military and go |
| Psychology. But if you wanted to work as a | | | | to Officers Candidate School (OCS). When you |
| Mental Health Worker in a Psychiatric Hospital for | | | | graduate from OCS you will become a fully |
| example you'd only need a B.S. in Psychology. | | | | commissioned officer instead of an enlisted |
| These jobs currently pay about 42k yearly. As a | | | | personnel. You can even check into becoming a |
| general rule, jobs pay a lot more in Metropolitan | | | | Civilian Government Employee as these jobs pay |
| areas than they do in rural areas, but then again | | | | great. So you have other options. That being said |
| the cost of living in rural areas is usually much | | | | I'd recommend pressing forward with your |
| lower so don't restrict where you want to live. | | | | education so someday you'll be right where you |
| Many of the larger cities will have a higher | | | | want to be. |
| demand for Substance Abuse Counselors. More | | | | |