Social pedagogue to drug and alcohol addiction counsellor
A social pedagogue already meets 58% of what the drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.
58/ 100
1 How much of what a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor is expected to do is already part of a social pedagogue’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 drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role treats 30 of its required skills as things a social pedagogue already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- adolescent psychological development
- apply quality standards in social services
- apply socially just working principles
- assess social service users' situation
- assess the development of youth
What stands in the way is 21 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a social pedagogue background worth leading with.
- already held psychological theories social sciences, journalism and information
- already held supervision of persons business, administration and law
- already held counselling methods health and welfare
- already held adolescent psychological development social sciences, journalism and information
- already held cooperate at inter-professional level communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held promote the safeguarding of young people communication, collaboration and creativity
All 30 carried skills, including the 30 the drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 4 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.
- still to learn have emotional intelligence required
- still to learn maintain a non-emotional involvement required
- still to learn organise relapse prevention required
- still to learn perform therapy sessions required
- still to learn refer social service users required
- still to learn respond to individuals' extreme emotions required
- still to learn use motivational incentives in addiction counselling required
- still to learn help clients make decisions during counselling sessions required
- still to learn promote inclusion required
- still to learn provide social counselling required
- still to learn assess clients' drug and alcohol addictions required
- still to learn build helping relationship with social service users required
- still to learn encourage counselled clients to examine themselves required
- still to learn maintain the trust of service users required
- still to learn promote human rights required
- optional, not held inform on the risks of substance and alcohol abuse optional
- still to learn behavioural therapy required
- still to learn cognitive behavioural therapy required
- still to learn human psychological development required
- still to learn reflexion required
- still to learn client-centred counselling required
- still to learn dependency on drugs required
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held sophrology optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess clients' drug and alcohol addictions practise this
- 02 behavioural therapy study this
- 03 build helping relationship with social service users practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 30 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adolescent psychological development knowledge
- 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 assess the development of youth skill
- 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 follow health and safety precautions in social care practices skill
- already held legal requirements in the social sector knowledge
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain records of work with service users skill
- already held manage social crisis skill
- already held manage stress in the work place skill
- already held prepare youths for adulthood skill
- already held promote social change skill
- already held promote the safeguarding of young people skill
- already held psychological theories knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held relate empathetically skill
- already held report on social development skill
- already held social justice knowledge
- already held social sciences knowledge
- already held supervision of persons knowledge
- already held support the positiveness of youths skill
- already held undertake continuous professional development in social work skill
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held inform on the risks of substance and alcohol abuse optional
- optional, not held sophrology optional
30 held skills the drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply foreign languages in social services skill
- not needed by the target role apply holistic approach within social services skill
- not needed by the target role apply person-centred care skill
- not needed by the target role assist children with special needs in education settings skill
- not needed by the target role communicate about youth's well-being skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by use of interpretation services skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with youth skill
- not needed by the target role community education knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate with professionals skill
- not needed by the target role determine child welfare skill
- not needed by the target role disability care knowledge
- not needed by the target role disability types knowledge
- not needed by the target role empower individuals, families and groups skill
- not needed by the target role health education knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor children's physical development skill
- not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan youth activities skill
- not needed by the target role social development knowledge
- not needed by the target role social mediation knowledge
- not needed by the target role social pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role special needs education knowledge
- not needed by the target role support children's wellbeing skill
- not needed by the target role support social service users to live at home skill
- not needed by the target role support sport activities in education skill
- not needed by the target role support traumatised children skill
- not needed by the target role theatre pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role use learning strategies skill
- not needed by the target role use pedagogic strategies for creativity skill
- not needed by the target role work for public inclusion skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn behavioural therapy required
- still to learn client-centred counselling required
- still to learn cognitive behavioural therapy required
- still to learn human psychological development required
- still to learn reflexion required
- still to learn dependency on drugs required
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held sophrology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a social pedagogue become a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A social pedagogue already covers 58% of what a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 30 of which the drug and alcohol addiction counsellor role treats as required.
What skills does a social pedagogue need to become a drug and alcohol addiction counsellor?
21 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is assess clients' drug and alcohol addictions.
How hard is the move from social pedagogue to drug and alcohol addiction counsellor?
Its learning distance is 58 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.