Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Drug and alcohol addiction counsellor to social counsellor

A drug and alcohol addiction counsellor already meets 74% of what the social counsellor role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From drug and alcohol addiction counsellor
74 % overlap
Strong match
To social counsellor
54 You already bring
3 Still to learn
95 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

44.6/ 100

1 How much of what a social counsellor is expected to do is already part of a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the social counsellor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A social counsellor role treats 42 of its required skills as things a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • accept own accountability
  • apply quality standards in social services
  • apply socially just working principles
  • assess social service users' situation
  • behavioural therapy
  • build helping relationship with social service users

What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 54 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A social counsellor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held use motivational incentives in addiction counselling assisting and caring
  • already held sophrology health and welfare
  • already held dependency on drugs health and welfare
  • already held inform on the risks of substance and alcohol abuse communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held maintain a non-emotional involvement assisting and caring
  • already held respond to individuals' extreme emotions assisting and caring

All 54 carried skills, including the 42 the social counsellor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 41 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 12 supplementary
  • still to learn use psychoeducation required
  • optional, not held address gender-related issues in family planning counselling optional
  • optional, not held advise on family planning optional
  • optional, not held advise on mental health optional
  • optional, not held advise on pregnancy optional
  • optional, not held communicate by use of interpretation services optional
  • optional, not held cooperate with professionals optional
  • optional, not held counsel patient on family concerns optional
  • optional, not held empower individuals, families and groups optional
  • optional, not held provide counselling on abortion optional
  • optional, not held provide education on family life optional
  • optional, not held apply foreign languages in social services optional
  • optional, not held communicate with youth optional
02 assisting and caring 1 required, 8 supplementary
  • still to learn determine child welfare required
  • optional, not held provide anger management counselling optional
  • optional, not held facilitate the healing process related to sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held help clients cope with grief optional
  • optional, not held practice gestalt therapy optional
  • optional, not held support traumatised children optional
  • optional, not held support young victims of sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
  • optional, not held develop patient treatment strategies optional
03 health and welfare 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn sexual disorders required
  • optional, not held family therapy optional
  • optional, not held reproductive health optional
  • optional, not held social development optional
  • optional, not held movement techniques optional
04 social sciences, journalism and information 5 supplementary
  • optional, not held stages of bereavement optional
  • optional, not held strategies for handling cases of sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held types of psychotherapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
05 information skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held carry out psychiatric assessment of child optional
  • optional, not held identify mental health issues optional
06 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan youth activities optional
  • optional, not held administer appointments optional

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a social counsellor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 54 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held accept own accountability skill
  • already held apply quality standards in social services skill
  • already held apply socially just working principles skill
  • already held assess social service users' situation skill
  • already held behavioural therapy knowledge
  • already held build helping relationship with social service users skill
  • already held client-centred counselling knowledge
  • already held clinical social work knowledge
  • already held cognitive behavioural therapy knowledge
  • already held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields skill
  • already held communicate with social service users skill
  • already held cooperate at inter-professional level skill
  • already held counselling methods knowledge
  • already held deliver social services in diverse cultural communities skill
  • already held demonstrate leadership in social service cases skill
  • already held encourage counselled clients to examine themselves skill
  • already held follow health and safety precautions in social care practices skill
  • already held have emotional intelligence skill
  • already held help clients make decisions during counselling sessions skill
  • already held human psychological development knowledge
  • already held legal requirements in the social sector knowledge
  • already held listen actively skill
  • already held maintain a non-emotional involvement skill
  • already held maintain records of work with service users skill
  • already held maintain the trust of service users skill
  • already held manage social crisis skill
  • already held manage stress in the work place skill
  • already held organise relapse prevention skill
  • already held perform therapy sessions skill
  • already held promote human rights skill
  • already held promote inclusion skill
  • already held promote social change skill
  • already held provide social counselling skill
  • already held refer social service users skill
  • already held reflexion knowledge
  • already held relate empathetically skill
  • already held report on social development skill
  • already held respond to individuals' extreme emotions skill
  • already held social justice knowledge
  • already held social sciences knowledge
  • already held supervision of persons knowledge
  • already held undertake continuous professional development in social work skill
  • already held adolescent psychological development knowledge
  • already held assess clients' drug and alcohol addictions skill
  • already held assess the development of youth skill
  • already held dependency on drugs knowledge
  • already held inform on the risks of substance and alcohol abuse skill
  • already held prepare youths for adulthood skill
  • already held promote the safeguarding of young people skill
  • already held psychological theories knowledge
  • already held psychology knowledge
  • already held sophrology knowledge
  • already held support the positiveness of youths skill
  • already held use motivational incentives in addiction counselling skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 services 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held anger management optional
  • optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
08 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held accounting techniques optional
09 education 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held sex education optional
10 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held pharmacology optional
38 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held anger management optional
  • optional, not held provide anger management counselling optional
  • optional, not held address gender-related issues in family planning counselling optional
  • optional, not held advise on family planning optional
  • optional, not held advise on mental health optional
  • optional, not held advise on pregnancy optional
  • optional, not held carry out psychiatric assessment of child optional
  • optional, not held communicate by use of interpretation services optional
  • optional, not held cooperate with professionals optional
  • optional, not held counsel patient on family concerns optional
  • optional, not held empower individuals, families and groups optional
  • optional, not held facilitate the healing process related to sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held family therapy optional
  • optional, not held help clients cope with grief optional
  • optional, not held identify mental health issues optional
  • optional, not held plan youth activities optional
  • optional, not held practice gestalt therapy optional
  • optional, not held provide counselling on abortion optional
  • optional, not held provide education on family life optional
  • optional, not held reproductive health optional
  • optional, not held social development optional
  • optional, not held stages of bereavement optional
  • optional, not held strategies for handling cases of sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held support traumatised children optional
  • optional, not held support young victims of sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held types of psychotherapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
  • optional, not held accounting techniques optional
  • optional, not held administer appointments optional
  • optional, not held apply foreign languages in social services optional
  • optional, not held communicate with youth optional
  • optional, not held develop patient treatment strategies optional
  • optional, not held movement techniques optional
  • optional, not held peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held pharmacology optional
  • optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
  • optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
  • optional, not held sex education optional
0 held skills the social counsellor role does not ask for
Skill Type
15 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn sexual disorders required
  • optional, not held anger management optional
  • optional, not held family therapy optional
  • optional, not held reproductive health optional
  • optional, not held social development optional
  • optional, not held stages of bereavement optional
  • optional, not held strategies for handling cases of sexual assault optional
  • optional, not held types of psychotherapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held accounting techniques optional
  • optional, not held movement techniques optional
  • optional, not held peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held pharmacology optional
  • optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
  • optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
  • optional, not held sex education optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor become a social counsellor?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A drug and alcohol addiction counsellor already covers 74% of what a social counsellor is expected to do: 54 skills carry over, 42 of which the social counsellor role treats as required.

What skills does a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor need to become a social counsellor?

3 required skills are missing, plus 38 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is determine child welfare.

How hard is the move from drug and alcohol addiction counsellor to social counsellor?

Its learning distance is 44.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.