You can include drug and alcohol counseling among the professions in need of people.
The Illinois Department of Human Services is helping with tuition and some expenses in a new program. It’s a partnership with the Illinois Certification Board, whose executive director, Chris Boyster, says the worker shortage is nothing new in this field.
“We have an older population” of counselors, Boyster said, “who has dedicated their life to helping other people, and they’re retiring. What we’re not seeing is people come into the field at the rate that they are leaving the field.”
And, Boyster adds, with opioids and fentanyl still a two-headed menace, certified alcohol and drug counselors (CADC) will be needed far into the future.
Boyster says it’s also important to know you do not need a master’s degree to become a CADC.