Millions of people are choosing to study online for a variety of reasons.

Here are five top benefits of online study for addiction counseling certification and certification renewal.

Do you ever dread having to keep a commitment after a long day of trudging through life in your unfulfilling career? Do you feel you might have made the wrong career choice?

Millions of people change their careers several times throughout their lifetime, and so can you.

But you fear that your job demands too much how can you find time to study when you don’t even have the energy to spend time with your family after a long day of unfulfilling work?

If you’re reading this blog, it’s safe to say that you’re in the market for a career change.

One fulfilling career with an exponential growth rate is pursuing a substance use disorder counselor career. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors will grow by 23% from 2020 to 2030.

This is much faster than the average for all occupations. It is estimated that around 41,000 openings for these types of counselors will become available each year on average over the next decade.

Many of these vacancies will result from workers transferring to other occupations or exiting the labor force. However, there is still the issue of not having time to pursue the 350 hours of education to become a drug counselor when your current career is sucking your will to live out of you.

This is the reality for many of us – our careers drain our life, but making a career change seems too demanding. When will you find the time?

Going to class after work seems exhaustive. Putting your family on hold causes guilt and further longing for change. Don’t worry.

You can still join the thousands of people who have found fulfillment by changing their careers with the help of online drug counselor education and training.

Keep reading to learn why online education removes many entry-level barriers blocking your path from pursuing a fulfilling career as an addiction counselor.

Look at the five significant benefits of online CASAC education and training.

*FTR:  If you need to renew your CASAC credential or any other addiction counseling credential, these five benefits pertain to you, too! Without further interruption, let’s jump in.

The Top 5 Benefits of Online Study for Drug Counselor Certification

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1. Flexibility and online education

“Because you get to set your schedule and study only when you have time, eLearning makes learning not something you have to get over with, but something you look forward to!” –Mark Hayes, Head of Marketing at Kintell

There are many benefits to online drug counselor education, including flexibility and accessibility.

For example, students can learn at their own pace and from anywhere. One of the benefits of online education is its flexibility. Many students can study from home, which can be more comfortable.

Additionally, online courses often allow for more individualized instruction. This means that students can receive help from a tutor or professor when needed, making the learning process more efficient. When you study with Educational Enhancement CASAC Online, you never have to worry about traditional classroom or webinar-based learning such as:

• interruptions people talking to one another,
• disruptive classmates,
• disinterested students who fidget and leave the room often
• long-drawn-out tangents (from students or facilitators), taking away from the material presented
• presenters/facilitators/ instructors  drawn off-topic

2. Taking online classes is cost-effective

“Online learning is rapidly becoming one of the most cost-effective ways to educate the world’s rapidly expanding workforce.” – Jack Messman, former CEO at Novel

In recent years, online courses have become increasingly popular among students worldwide.

There are several reasons for this, but one of the most important is that online classes are often cost-effective, and many online courses are cheaper than traditional classroom programs.

Online drug counseling educational courses do not have service fees, technology fees, or student association fees as conventional academic institutions or classroom programs.  

Not having to get to the classroom by any specific time each day allows you to spend less time hustling around the city trying to get to school after work or waiting impatiently at home for the sitter to show up. 

Not to mention paying the sitter’s commuting costs (gas, parking, tolls, etc.). Having to hustle to a classroom after work can leave you feeling like you’re missing out on necessary family time.

Alternatively, you may have to go to school or attend a webinar that takes you away from home and family. In either case, you’re sacrificing quality family time.

Second, many online courses allow you to take multiple sessions, which means you can get more out of each.

Finally, online classes often have built-in grading systems, which means you can get your credits in less time. Additionally, online courses are often cost-effective since they do not require expensive equipment or facilities.

Many online schools offer scholarships and other financial assistance to make learning more affordable.

For example, Educational Enhancement currently works with ACCESS VR in New York State to help students with full scholarships.

A Free Guide to Addiction Counseling Credentialing

3. Why self-directed CASAC online learning provides deeper learning and understanding

“You can’t teach people everything they need to know, and the best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it.” – Seymour Papert, MIT mathematician, educator, and computer scientist.

Self-directed CASAC online learning provides deeper learning and understanding because it allows students to work at their own pace and customize their learning experience. Drug counselor online learning will enable students to focus on the most important topics and allow them to explore the material in a more in-depth way.

Learning online allows you the right to review the material on an engaging platform as many times as you like. On the other hand, classroom or webinar-based learning gives you one shot to absorb everything said during a presentation. Unfortunately, getting distracted can easily cause you to miss important information during a presentation. The worse part is that you never know what is essential and what isn’t necessary to learn a new skill when following a career path. You can always log in and review previous sessions when studying drug counseling online.

Additionally, online learning programs provide support and encouragement through alternative online study groups, accountability partnerships, and several ways to reach instructors for further explanation and coaching.

4. The quality of 20 minutes of focussed online learning

“Where my reason, imagination, or interest was not engaged, I would not, or I could not learn.”
– Winston Churchill

There is no doubt that online learning offers many benefits for students, such as flexibility, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. However, one of the most significant benefits of online study is the quality of the learning experience. Online learning allows you to monitor and regulate your process of knowledge, and Online learning helps you create your pathway of learning. In short, Online education teaches you how to learn.

Online learning, when done right, engages you to push forward. You can sign in and log 20 minutes of focussed online learning anywhere and anytime, and you cannot do this when waiting to get into the classroom.

A study conducted by the University of South Wales found that students who undertook online learning scored higher on assessments than students who undertook face-to-face learning. This study suggests that online learning is convenient and cost-effective and provides high-quality learning opportunities.

Educational Enhancement CASAC Online provides links to academic journals, articles, and case studies to further your knowledge of essential addiction counseling issues and topics. Understanding addiction/ recovery academic literature published gives students a head start preparing for the IC & RC certification exam. Most certification exam writers scour academic literature when designing certification exams on academic literature. If you want to achieve the highest possible score on your certification exam, investing in quality online self-directed learning is essential.

5. Why completing 350 hours of self-directed online study opens more career opportunities

“When training is done well, doors open, skills development, and performance excellences yield personal and organizational rewards.”
-Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions

Completing an initial CASAC 350 clock hour education program online shows that you take your career focus seriously and search, find and implement solutions to overcome obstacles. Online drug counselor educational programs often have more rigorous coursework than traditional classroom-based programs, which can help you develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for a successful career as a drug counselor.

As you progress through a self-directed online learning system, you’ll develop positive attitudes and beliefs about yourself that increase your academic perseverance. And prompt you to engage in productive academic behaviors. Completing the Educational Enhancement’s CASAC 350- hour online program shows employers your level of commitment in seeing work through to completion, meeting your goals, and doing quality work.

Developing self-awareness is one of the most critical areas of development for any addiction counselor. Learning to study online forces you to take a look inside to learn how to apply yourself to the pursuit of your goals. Studying online forces you to understand your values and why you pursue learning. Learning online helps you become self-aware of how to apply the knowledge you are learning to your career as an addiction counselor, to engage values intimately, and what works best for you when it comes to self-improvement, self-care, and continuing education.

By completing 350 hours of self-directed online study, you can open up many career opportunities because you show employers your willingness and motivation to set goals and follow through without constant instruction.

 Summary

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” 
– paraphrase of a Charles Marshall quote in Shattering the Glass Slipper

The future of education is online learning. This means that people will be learning through the internet using things like eLearning (learning through a computer), mobile learning (learning through a phone or tablet), and distance education (learning from a teacher who is not in the same room as you). People are using these technologies to access information and skills that they wouldn’t be able to get before. Leaders in different fields and leaders involved with substance abuse counseling education and training are starting to see the potential that online learning is the future.

This article covered five benefits to online study for drug counselor certification.

One benefit is that it is convenient for students. Many online programs allow for flexibility in when and where you study, which can help you fit learning around your busy schedule. Online study will enable students to look at their own pace and schedule. It also allows students to study from home, which can benefit those who have difficulty attending class in person.

Finally, the online study allows students to receive feedback, one-on-one instruction, coaching, and mentoring on their work, which helps you understand addiction and apply the information you obtained to make clinical-based decisions and improve skills and knowledge.

Educational Enhancement CASAC Online is an OASAS approved education and training provider. We look forward to serving all of your addiction counselor continuing education needs. Fire off a quick email to say hi, ask a question, or suggest any content you feel will help you succeed in the field as a substance use counseling professional. about what content you would like us to provide for you