Program Description

The Substance Abuse Counselor Education Technical Diploma program is a pre-approved comprehensive education program for Substance Abuse Counselors per the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.

As an Embedded Technical Diploma, this program ladders fully into the Substance Use Disorder Counselor (SUDC) Associate Degree program.

Found in These Career Fields:

Approximate Cost

$5,434
Tuition: $4815 , Books: $619

Starting Salary

$33,280–$41,995
Average, based on the NTC Graduate Outcomes Report

Financial Aid

Available

Available

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Availability

Courses for this program may be available at a variety of campus locations through multiple modes of delivery if you meet the admission requirements and prerequisites.

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at Wausau
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at Antigo
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at Medford
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at Phillips
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at Spencer
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at Wittenberg
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at Online

* Campus and online availability of courses and programs may be subject to change.

Outcomes

Graduates will be able to…

  • Adhere to accepted ethical and behavior conduct
  • Document and maintain clinical records according to agency, federal and state guidelines
  • Provide culturally relevant education related to substance abuse
  • Demonstrate counseling skills with individuals, groups and families
  • Demonstrate case management skills
  • Facilitate referral to meet needs
  • Develop treatment plans
  • Clinically evaluate for substance use disorders and treatment needs

Careers

Some of the potential careers graduates can pursue are:

  • Substance Abuse Counselor
  • Intake Counselor
  • Assessment Counselor
  • Substance Abuse Counselor - In Training

Courses

The Substance Abuse Counselor Education Technical Diploma is a 37 Credit program. The following is a typical semester breakdown of the courses within the program.

First Term

INTRO TO INTERVIEWING & COUNSELING SKILLS 3.00
BOUNDARIES & ETHICS - HELPING PROFESSIONS 3.00
INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY 3.00
COLLEGE 101 1.00

Second Term

UNDERSTANDING SUBSTANCE USE 3.00
FOUNDATIONS OF CASE MANAGEMENT 3.00
OVERVIEW OF MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS 3.00
GROUP FACILITATION 3.00

Third Term

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUDC PROFESSION 3.00
COUNSELING THEORY 3.00
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 3.00
SUDC ASSESSMENT, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT 3.00
FAMILY SYSTEMS 3.00

Credit for Prior Learning Available

View All Detailed Course Information

Pathways

Pathways are a series of connected programs that enable you to advance over time to better jobs and higher levels of education and training. By earning one degree, you could also be completing several courses of a related program in a pathway, bringing you one step closer to an advanced degree.

Completing the Substance Abuse Counselor Education Technical Diploma Earns You:

If you begin with one of the following programs, you will earn significant credit towards this Substance Abuse Counselor Education Technical Diploma:

  • The SUDC Specialization Certificate will provide you with 49% (18 of 37 credits) of the total credits in this Substance Abuse Counselor Education Technical Diploma

Additional Information

Completion of this technical diploma program will grant learners the approved educational credentials required by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for Substance Abuse Counselor.

Scholarship Opportunities

Collaboration of Wisconsin Rural Investment in Community Healthcare (COW RICH) Grant (for students graduating by Spring 2024)

Additional funding may be available to assist with your training through external sources.

Admissions Process

Our application process takes just a few minutes to complete, but we want to make sure you have the things you’ll need on hand to complete the application. We’re here to help if you have any questions while submitting your application.

Fill out our application

The application can be submitted online and takes just a few minutes to complete. There is no fee to apply.

Apply Now

Then, submit one of the following

Documentation can be sent via email to admissions@ntc.edu, via mail, addressed to: Northcentral Technical College, ATTN: Admissions, 1000 W. Campus Drive, Wausau, WI 54401, or delivered in person to any NTC campus.

  • High school transcript indicating a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above. Contact the high school you attended if you do not have a copy of your transcript.
  • ACT composite score of 16 or above. Request an ACT College Report from ACT or contact the high school you graduated from if you do not have a copy on hand.
  • Accuplacer scores. Score requirements vary by program and version of the Accuplacer test that was taken. For more details, please contact Admissions. If you did not take the Accuplacer at NTC, contact the college at which you took it to obtain a copy of your scores.
  • College transcript indicating a cumulative GPA of 2.5 over a minimum of 12 credits, earned at a single college.

If you do not meet any one of the above criteria, don’t worry, complete the application anyway and we will contact you to discuss your options.

What’s Next?

We’ll review your application and let you know if we need anything else. If you’re all set, your acceptance letter will be mailed to you.