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In Utah, a substance use counseling bachelor's degree qualifies you for several career opportunities in this field. For example, if you'd prefer a nonclinical role that doesn't require licensure, you could work as a community health worker or a health education specialist. As an employee of a government agency or nonprofit organization focused on substance misuse, you may spend your time monitoring prevention or treatment programs or developing educational campaigns. 

To become a licensed substance use counselor who works directly with clients, you will need some college education. To obtain the lower-level Substance Use Disorder Counselor (SUDC) license, you'll need an associate degree or the equivalent amount of college education. For the higher-level Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor (ASUDC) license, you'll need a bachelor's or master's degree in addiction counseling or a related field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health therapists in Utah. 

Becoming a substance use disorder counselor in Utah is a somewhat complex process. To obtain a license to provide substance use counseling services in this state, you'll need to go through several stages, which have been established by the (DOPL).

Ultimately, your objective is to become a Substance Use Disorder Counselor (SUDC), which requires an associate degree or an equivalent amount of college education, or an Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor (ASUDC), which requires a bachelor's or master's degree in addiction counseling or a similar subject.

However, before earning either of those licenses, you must first apply for a Certified Substance Use Disorder Counselor (CSUDC) license or a Certified Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor (CASUDC) license. This indicates that you have completed the educational requirements and passed the appropriate exam but have not yet fulfilled all of the requirements for supervised work experience.

The requirements to become a CSUDC include the following:

• A high school diploma or the equivalent
• At least 200 hours, or about 14 courses, of college-level education in substance abuse and clinical counseling
• 2,000 hours of supervised work experience in the 12 core functions of counseling, such as assessment, treatment planning, and counseling
• A passing score on the Level I, Level II, or Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) Exam administered by the (NAADAC) or the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Exam sponsored by the (IC&RC)

The requirements to become a CASUDC include the following:

• A bachelor's or master's degree in substance abuse counseling
• Coursework that includes human development, psychology, and biology
• 2,000 hours of supervised work experience in the 12 core functions of counseling, such as assessment, treatment planning, and counseling
• A passing score on the NAADAC Level II or MAC Exam or the IC&RC AADC Exam 

To advance to the level of Substance Use Disorder Counselor (SUDC), you'll need to accumulate an additional 2,000 hours of work experience, of which 50 hours must be supervised. To qualify for Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor (ASUDC) licensure, you'll need an additional 4,000 hours of work experience, of which 100 hours must be supervised. 

If you want to start accumulating your work experience hours while you're still preparing to take the certification exam, you can apply for a Certified Substance Use Disorder Counselor Intern (CSUDCI) license or a Certified Advanced Substance Use Disorder Counselor Intern (CASUDCI) license.

CSUDCs, CASUDCs, SUDCs, and ASUDCs must renew their credentials every two years. To qualify for renewal, you'll need to complete 40 hours of continuing education. Six of these hours must focus on professional ethics.

Yes, Utah does offer reciprocity for certified counselors from other states who'd like to provide face-to-face, phone, and online substance abuse counseling in Utah. If you are a credentialed substance abuse counselor who has met similar licensure requirements to those for SUDC or ASUDC licensure, you will need to submit an application for reciprocity by endorsement to both the Utah DOPL and your current licensing board. 

The amount of time it takes to become a substance abuse counselor in Utah depends on how quickly you can meet all of the requirements. If you're seeking SUDC licensure, you'll probably need two to three years of education along with one or two years of work experience. For ASUDC licensure, you may require four or five years for a bachelor's degree, another one to two years of work experience, and an additional two years for an optional master's degree.