The Addiction Studies program prepares students to work with the alcohol and other
drug dependent population, and the family and employer of the chemically dependent
person. The program addresses community needs for trained alcohol and other drug prevention specialists
to work and volunteer in both public and private agencies in the Bay Area.
Career opportunities in this field include Primary Addiction Counselor/Supervisor,
Case Manager, Program Director, Prevention Educator, Mental Health Dual Diagnosis
Counselor, Crisis Intervention Specialist, Incarceration Counselor, and Assessment/Placement
Specialist. Other opportunities include working with adolescents, seniors, multicultural
populations, and those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
Persons who are awarded the certificate may be employed by in-patient and out-patient
treatment clinics, transitional housing centers, mental health clinics, job training/placement
programs, shelters for various homeless populations, detoxification units, crisis
intervention centers, incarceration facilitates, and education/prevention programs in
the schools and community.
The certificate program conforms to the Proposed Guidelines for Alcohol and Other
Drug Studies Programs within Higher Education prepared for the California State Department
of Alcohol and Drug Programs and meets the accreditation standards set forth by the California
Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators (CAADE).
