Counseling and helping others is at the core of many rewarding careers. Ridgewater’s Chemical Dependency Counseling education can help you develop the sensitive, empathetic professional foundation you need to successfully help others overcome addiction. By learning to understand human behavior, dynamics, and circumstances, you can reach your goal of making a difference in people’s lives by helping them through tough times.

Class delivery

• Willmar
• Online – blended
• Fall and spring options

Knowledge you will gain

• Addiction and symptoms
• Emotional and social effects
• Prevention, intervention, assessment, and treatment
• Pharmacology
• Counseling techniques
• Group processes like communication, counseling, and leadership
• Case management

Choose Ridgewater

Ridgewater’s Chemical Dependency Counseling program trains you to complete the first step toward becoming an in-demand Minnesota Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). Prepare yourself to help others by building your self-awareness and your interpersonal skills. Start by earning your Chemical Dependency Counseling certificate. Then complement it with a quality yet affordable Ridgewater Liberal Arts AA degree, the first two years of a four-year degree. Transferring to a partner university for your bachelor’s degree is the final step. Many students enjoy starting at Ridgewater because of our personable and accessible faculty with diverse backgrounds from both psychology and counseling professional experiences.

• Complete the 60-credit AA degree (first two years of a bachelor’s degree, including the required 18-semester credits for licensure) AND complete the 30-credit Chemical Dependency Counselor certificate (includes the required 18-semester credits and the 880-hour practicum required for licensure).
• Eighteen credits of the alcohol and drug counselor education count toward both the AA degree and the certificate requirement which allows you to complete both with only 74 credits!

Attributes that help students thrive

• Small class sizes for personal peer and faculty connections
• Clear expectations
• Direct connections from classroom to work through practicum and internship experiences
• Convenient online/blended courses
• Curriculum developed in accordance with standards of the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy and the Minnesota Certification Board

An effective counselor often brings life experiences to a position, but past personal challenges are not required to help others. Take a Chemical Dependency Counseling class or two out of curiosity, train to be a chemical dependency counselor, or begin your journey toward a bachelor’s degree at Ridgewater College. Hundreds of students complete their first two years of virtually any four-year degree at Ridgewater where tuition is very affordable before transferring to their preferred university.

Note: Chemically dependent individuals entering the Chemical Dependency Counseling field must have two years of sobriety before the pre-professional practicum and internship and pass a background check. See an advisor for details. With an AA-degree and the Ridgewater Chemical Dependency Counselor certificate, graduates can qualify for a temp license and be employed by a counseling center. To be fully licensed, licensed graduates need to continue to earn a four-year degree.