Of course. They're the only ones who have any credibility. I'd never take advice from some fresh-faced teenie-bopper from Social Services, with a diploma so new the ink hasn't even dried yet. What do they know about drug addiction, and where it takes you? You need to talk to someone who has been there.

I don't know for sure but, I think that it would depend where you worked at. For the state...no. For a private company....I would assume so. I know my old program had contracts with the state so that would be something to check out. Good question. I wanna be one too but, not a felon. I have an RE-4 on my record which may be worse. Ah good luck. (maybe it would depend on what ur felony was)

If some of the social service agents would be both MD&Social Woırker then one could obtain more practicable and useful information about "convicted felon"s! Now no reliable source to answer you through for my par!

Opportunities may be more favorable in rural and urban areas, rather than the suburbs, because it is often difficult to recruit people to these areas. While there are no specific limitations mentioned, I suspect that no school would hire an ex-felon, but self-employed counselors who have well-established practices, as well as counselors employed in group practices, usually have the highest earnings. You would probably have the best chance to do your training hours with a self employed counselor who was about to retire and looking for someone to take over his practice. Substance abuse counseling is considered one of the most challenging areas of human/social services. To become a counselor you need a B.A. plus two years of counseling in a related field or equivalent life experience. This could include other kinds of counseling, volunteer work, or experience as a former addict. Though certification is available from most states, it is not required. Some people believe this will change in the future as cutbacks are made and jobs become more scarce. For counselors based outside of schools, 49 States and the District of Columbia have some form of counselor licensing that governs the practice of counseling.

First of all, congratulations on working your way out of your addictions! You might want to visit this web site for more information: http://naadac.org/learn/ From there you can look for more specific information in your state. Most of the people I've known who work in that field are CACs (certified addictions counselors) or have master's degrees in social work (MSW). Those aren't the only types of people doing that kind of work, though. States have different policies about criminal histories and licensure. If you don't get any leads from the site I provided earlier, try your state's web page. There are probably links there for information. If you've received help from any sort of professional, you might ask them for info. Good luck and keep up the good work.

Yes. Halfway houses and other Community Correctional Centers often employ former users and convicts after 1 year clean and no new charges. They have more credibility that the college-trained staff with the parolee's and other program-sentenced inmates. I think you should look into these avenues. They are a great way to move on from your mistakes and make a difference in someone elses life. Good luck.

The ones that have been down those roads are usually the best ones to tell others how to avoid them. Good Luck!

If you are planning to do counselling studies then some schools might not accept you because of your conviction. It's worth a try though. Usually you have to study general counselling before you can specialise anyway. Good luck! However I have heard of programs where people who have had problems with drugs are trained to talk to groups of youth who have drug problems. This is all voluntary though & I'm not even sure where you would have to look to find something like that, sorry.