Why You Should Consider a Career in Addiction Services
A career in addiction recovery services can be highly rewarding and bring you a great sense of purpose. Careers within the addiction treatment community are in great demand and these professionals can work for rehab and recovery centers, outpatient facilities, or become self-employed.
Two Important Roles: The Interventionist and the Sober Companion
Interventionist
An interventionist is on the front lines of addiction recovery. They organize, plan, and facilitate the initial meeting with someone who is facing addiction and help put in motion the initial steps to seek treatment. They might be the first professional the person with addiction sees in the process of seeking treatment and the interventionist often works together with friends and family members.
A Nationally Certified Intervention Professional (NCIP) has completed a formal training program as an Interventionist and is distinguished as a top professional in the industry. In addition to learning the skills and job duties of an interventionist, the NCIP program at The Addiction Academy includes training on how to decide if a potential client is a good fit for your services, how to get referrals for new clients, setting up the intervention, working with the family to provide additional support, how to handle a relapse, how to become bonded and insured, and more. These skills can give you an edge over the competition and set your business up for success.
The salary of an interventionist depends on many factors, including the individual case, the amount of work completed to prepare for the intervention, and more. Many interventionists charge at least $500 for an intervention, although top certified professionals in the industry may charge as much as $10,000 for a single intervention.
Sober Companion
A sober companion, also known as a sober escort, works with people who are in addiction recovery programs. Depending on the case, they may work with people at various stages of recovery and perform different duties to help the client stay on track and complete daily living tasks. This can include driving the client to medical and treatment appointments, helping them to run errands, and more. They may help the client with certain tasks during normal work hours, provide around-the-clock support, or be on-call. Through these duties, they provide support, guidance, and accountability to people who are struggling to remain sober during recovery.
Those who have received the Nationally Certified Sober Companion and Safe Transport designation have completed the most comprehensive training available in the industry. The Certified Sober Companion Training Program at The Addiction Academy includes Safe Transport Training, providing you with the skills and knowledge to perform multiple functions as a sober companion.
Sober companions’ salaries vary based on the number of hours worked and the scope of work completed for each client. Sober escorts usually charge at least $300 per day, although coaches who are formally trained and certified may charge up to $2,500 per day.
Six Great Reasons You Should Consider a Career in Addiction Services
There are many reasons why working in the addiction treatment industry is a rewarding and beneficial career. Here we will take a look at six great reasons to consider becoming certified as an Interventionist or Sober Companion.
- You Will Be Helping Save the Lives of Others
Addiction can jeopardize everything in life, including jobs, money, relationships with friends and family, physical, emotional, and mental health, and more. Many people who choose a career in addiction services have seen this first-hand, because they know someone who has faced addiction, or they have overcome addiction themselves. When you choose a career in addiction recovery services, you will be working to help improve and, in some cases, save the life of others.
- You Can Use Your Personal Experiences to Help Others
Working as part of the addiction recovery community is not for everyone. This highly rewarding industry can also be challenging. You will be working with people who are facing addiction, family and social problems, financial hardships, physical and mental health issues, and more. To be highly successful in addiction services, you need to bring together both personal experiences and the right training.
When you complete the NCIP or Sober Companion training programs offered by The Addiction Academy, you will receive the training and formal education needed to become a successful addiction services professional. Combining this training with your own personal experiences and knowledge will allow you to provide services that are empathetic, supportive, and create successful results.
- You Will Be a Part of Positive Outcomes
There are many jobs where people never get to experience the outcome of their work. Imagine someone is having a medical emergency in a public place. Someone calls for 911, a firefighter is the first responder and performs CPR, an EMT rushes them to the hospital, the receptionist at the emergency room gathers all known information, and the triage nurse organizes their transfer to the intensive care unit. Most of the time, none of the people in this scenario will find out what happened to the person who needed care. These people were part of the outcome, but they usually do not get to experience the satisfaction of seeing the person recover.
When you work as an Interventionist or Sober Companion, you will get to be a part of positive outcomes as they happen. You will work closely with someone who is overcoming addiction and watch in real time as they make progress towards their goals.
- Becoming Certified Gives You an Edge
There is no national certification requirement for an Addiction Interventionist or a Sober Coach. However, some employers require these professionals to have completed a certification course to be eligible for employment with their facility. Completing a formal training program can give you an edge, making you a qualified and prepared applicant and opening the door to work for a variety of employers. The Addiction Academy also hires many professionals from within after they complete their certification and become fully licensed and bonded.
- The Industry is in High Demand
According to recent statistics, there are around 20 million Americans facing drug addictions. Almost half of these people are also facing a mental health disorder which can complicate their treatment. In 2017, more than 1.6 million people successfully completed their treatment plan at an addiction facility. The average length of the treatment plan varied from five days for detox programs to 90 days for outpatient opioid treatment, although the length of the treatment plan can vary widely based on what services are needed. Right now, there are around 16,000 addiction recovery and treatment centers across the United States.
So, what does all this mean for you? It means that there are millions of people who need help overcoming addiction and many of them are seeking treatment at thousands of facilities across the country, making addiction recovery and treatment an industry in high demand.
- There Are No Prerequisites
When you choose to complete your studies with The Addiction Academy, there are no prerequisites to enter the program. This allows you to start your career studies right away, without spending additional time and money before you join.
The Time to Get Started is Now
If you are looking for a career that is rewarding, allows you to use your personal experiences and knowledge, and is in great demand, addiction recovery services may be the right choice for you. When you work within the addiction treatment community, you will be working to save the life of others and be a part of positive outcomes. While the industry lacks a clear nationally recognized training requirement, a certification from The Addiction Academy will give you an edge over the competition, designating you as a highly trained and qualified applicant, opening the doors for you to find a career with a variety of employers. If you choose self-employment, a certification distinguishes you from other addiction recovery workers who lack a formal certification, bringing you to the forefront of the industry.
Reach out to our elite team TODAY! Call 1.800.706.0318 ext 2 or visit us at www.theaddictionsacademy.com and complete the information form.
