Pursue a career as a substance use counselor and start making a difference. Through this program, you will receive free tuition for an approved online and hybrid training program and waived registration and certification fees. Begin working in the field while completing your education and practicum requirements.
What is a substance use counselor?
A substance use counselor supports individuals dealing with substance use and co-occuring mental health disorders. As a substance use counselor, you work in a variety of settings including mental health centers, community health centers, prisons, private practices and more. Substance use counselors ensure that clients and their loved ones are given access to the resources and support necessary for their recovery.
Why become a substance use counselor?
San Diego County is facing a significant behavioral health (BH) worker shortage. By 2027, it is estimated we will need to employ and retain about 18,500 BH workers to meet the needs of our community.
Why choose our program?
Our program is designed to help turn your passion for helping others into a rewarding career. We provide full support for all school related expenses throughout your entire journey until certification. With online, hybrid and in-person course options, you will gain the skills and training that best suits your learning style.
Paid Work Experience
Hands-on learning at a workplace for a limited time
Job Placement Assistance
Job search support, career advice and information about growing industries
Educational Services
Education assistance to achieve training and career goals
Work Readiness Training
Training on basic skills like teamwork and working under deadlines needed to get—and keep—a job
Supportive Services
Resources like transportation, childcare, or work supplies to help you complete the program
From enrollment to completing the program, here’s what you can expect at every stage:
Submit your application online (when applications are open)
Engage in coursework and hands-on learning
Get real-world experience
Receive job placement assistance
Here is how to apply:
1. Begin your application (it takes 10-15 minutes)
2. Answer the supplemental questionnaire following your application
3. Wait for our team to respond about next steps
Applications are due November 16, 2025
Read our FAQs, email us at hello@workforce.org or call (619) 319-WORK (9675).
Our program takes about 18 months to complete. This includes education and practicum hours. You are required to take 2 courses per quarter.
From application to job placement, here are details of what to expect at every stage:
1. Apply online
2. Education and registration
3. Hands-on experience
4. Certification and job placement support
No. The San Diego Workforce Partnership will cover ALL expenses including registration, certification, tuition, fees, and textbooks. If you are requested to pay for anything, please contact us immediately.
Yes. It is encouraged that you apply for financial aid at your assigned school. This will not change our commitment to cover all required expenses.
Yes. It is encouraged that you seek employment in the SUD field. If you need immediate assistance finding a job, please connect with one of your program specialist or a career navigators at your closest Career Center. Use the following link to locate the Career Center nearest you. https://workforce.org/careers/.
You can start counting the required 255 hours of supervised SUD training when you enroll into your school’s practicum course. These are separate from the 2,080 hours of SUD counseling work experience and can not be combined. The 2,080 of SUD Counseling work experience are collected at a SUD related work environment. Both set of hours must be signed off by an accredited supervisor. You can find a break down of the hours here. New SUD Counselors • CADTP Counselors
Yes. You will need your supervisor to sign off on your hours using the Work Verification Form. You can find the form on this website New SUD Counselors • CADTP Counselors and scroll down to “Work Verification Form.”
You may also contact CADTP directly at (800) 464-3597 info@CADTP.org. They are very responsive!
We encourage you to wait until you have taken your schools required Ethics course to begin the registration process. We can register you before that, but this decision is made on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you would like to complete your registration so we can guide you through the process.
Yes. We have many connections throughout San Diego County. We encourage you to let us know if you’ve applied to an agency so we can reach out to them as well. We will also send you a link to our job portal. Contact SUDSupport@workforce.org
We suggest the following breakdown. 3 hours per week reading the content online + 4-5 hours doing the related readings, papers, etc. + Total: 8 hours per course per week or a little more than 1 hour per day per course.
Palomar College- Being on parole or probation is not a problem for enrolling and taking courses at Palomar College, in fact, Palomar has an entire program we have an entire program dedicated to helping people transition from incarceration to college. It is called Transitions.
Getting an internship and certification is a little trickier. In general, if the conviction is related to a substance charge, we can usually find students an internship without too much difficulty. It narrows their options if they are still on probation or parole but possible.
If the conviction is a harm or threat to someone else, this is a problem. Arson, assault, burglary, things like this would probably exclude someone from becoming certified. There are no restrictions for students on probation at UCSD Extended Studies. We suggest the following breakdown. 3 hours per week reading the content online + 4-5 hours doing the related readings, papers, etc. + Total: 8 hours per course per week or a little more than 1 hour per day per course.
City College Alcohol and Other Drugs Program encourage all students to apply.
UCSD School of Extended Studies Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling Program requires that you have 1 year of sobriety.
For academic based questions, reach out to your academic advisor or program coordinator at your respective school.
Our staff can try their best to connect you with the appropriate resource for EDD questions, but keep in mind that they are not EDD staff. Please contact your local EDD office.
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed! Please reach out to your program specialist should you feel the need to drop a course. Since some courses are a pre-requisite for others, dropping courses can throw off the trajectory of your classes.
