Career Information

Certification

Completion of the Human Services Technology – Substance Abuse program will provide the student with proficiency in Twelve Core Functions of a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor:

Screening
Intake
Orientation
Assessment
Treatment Planning
Counseling
Case Management
Crisis Intervention
Client Education
Report and Record Keeping
Consultation
Referral

More information about certification can be found here: North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board.

Professional Organizations

Career Guidance Center (Ferguson's) This link opens in a new window
Explore careers and best practices for job searching, take a career interest assessment, write better resumes & cover letters, and research schools that offer the programs/credentials you need.
Job-Hunting and Workplace Skills: guidance on the essentials of getting a job and keeping it—establishing a career path, honing interview skills, writing résumés, and more

Career and Industry Resources: more than 55,000 searchable, browsable resource entries, divided into convenient categories on fellowships, organizations, internships, scholarships, and awards

School Searches: four comprehensive, current databases, provided by Peterson's Nelnet, LLC, covering undergraduate, graduate, nursing, and vocational and technical schools in the U.S. and Canada; search for schools by type, region, areas of study, and a variety of other characteristics

Career Interest Assessment: ranks users' work interest areas and suggests related occupations and industries

Links to Current Job Opportunities: access to live job postings.

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Profiles for hundreds of occupations including sections like What They Do, Work Environment, How to Become One, Pay, and more.

Suggested Books

The Vo-Tech Track to Success in Human Services by Marcia Amidon Lüsted
Call Number: Wilm Circulating Books HV 40 .L97 2015
ISBN: 1477777326
Publication Date: 2014
This title explores vo-tech paths to careers in early childhood services, counseling and mental health services, and family and community services. Clear text informs students about their options, and photos capture real-life work in the field. (Source: Amazon.com)
Cengage Advantage Books: Becoming a Helper by Marianne Schneider Corey; Gerald Corey
Call Number: Wilm Circulating Books HV 10.5 .C67 2016
ISBN: 1305401077
Publication Date: 2015
This book provides an overview of the stages of the helping process while teaching readers the skills and knowledge they need to become successful helping professionals. Corey and Corey focus on the struggles, anxieties, and uncertainties often encountered on the road to becoming effective helpers. They also emphasize self-reflection on a number of professional issues. (Source: Amazon.com)
Human Services in Contemporary America by William Burger
Call Number: Wilm Circulating Books HV 91 .B86 2017
ISBN: 1305966848
Publication Date: 2014
William R. Burger uses a unique multidisciplinary approach to deliver a comprehensive overview of the helping field, its available programs, and the practical skills workers can employ. Completely up-to-date and written in a clear, non-technical style, the text illustrates how recent governmental policy shifts impact the way human services professionals work. Its presentation of the history and practice of human services through the lens of a social problems and policy perspective is truly unique. (Source: Amazon.com)
Introduction to Human Services by Michelle Martin
Call Number: Wilm Circulating Books HV 10.5 .M37 2018
ISBN: 9780134461038
Publication Date: 2017
This comprehensive introduction looks at the human services profession though the settings where human services work and provides information about social problems within a socio-political context to show how culture and ideology influence people’s perspectives. (Source: Amazon.com)
Ultimate Job Search by Lynn Williams
Call Number: Wilm Circulating Books HF 5382.7 .W55 2018
ISBN: 0749481404
A one-stop shop for all job hunters, this fifth edition of Ultimate Job Search takes the stress out of job hunting and provides advice on every stage of the process including: preparing a poweful CV that will get you noticed ; sample cover letters and emails that are really persuasive ; making a great impression at interviews ; dealing with offers and rejections in a positive manner. (Source: Back Cover)
100+ Winning Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions by Casey Fitts Hawley
Call Number: Wilm Circulating Books HF 5382.7 .W55 2018
ISBN: 9781438004846
The author includes step-by-step instructions for preparing for interviews. He also shares 88 examples of great answers to 44 of the most commonly asked questions. Plus, he includes tips for researching jobs as well as frameworks for preparing your interview answers. (Source: Amazon.com)