Felon wants to be a Drug/Alcohol Counselor ~ Jobs for Felons: How felons can get jobs

Felon wants to be a Drug/Alcohol Counselor

Hi, I am currently on probation for a class D DUI felony. I'm on concurrent probation for a class C drug charge but it is not on my record and won't be as long as I get through probation....so far so good! It's been so hard to find work and I'm fortunate to have a family member that owns a company I do work from home for. I have been clean now for a year and I really want to go back to school. My dad is a lawyer and he told me that it may be a waste of my time to go into criminal justice----I know I can file to get the felony off my record in a few years. But my question is this: Can I go to school for counseling/addiction specialist and get a job working with addicts? I've had counselors that have had drug and alcohol problems but they don't have records. I believe that folks like myself are the best people to help others in situations we have actually lived ourselves!

Please help!

Thanks!

Felon wants to be a Drug/Alcohol Counselor

Hello,

It's admirable that you want to use your experiences to help people. I know of ex-offenders and felons who have gotten jobs as counselors.

Regulations regarding who can be licensed or certified to be drug/alcohol counselors will vary from state to state. My suggestion to you is to talk to some drug and alcohol counselors and ask all the questions you can. One question to ask is where to go to get certified. Once you find out the agency that does certification, you can inquire if you can be certified with your particular conviction.

Perhaps you’d require a counseling degree to move forward with your dream. Once you find that out, you can learn about the certification process and the qualifications.

I hope this helps.

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