Social Sciences

Interested in Becoming a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker?

Would you like to help those who do not get the help they need? Want to make a difference in the lives of those who are struggling? Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker will be the perfect career for you! West Hills College’s certificate programs will provide the training and knowledge necessary to become a successful mental health and substance abuse social worker.

What do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers do?

A mental health and substance abuse social worker helps those with mental health issues and substance abuse issues to overcome their substance abuse and dependencies. As a mental health and substance abuse social worker, you will teach your clients that there are healthier and more beneficial options than substance abuse. Ways that a mental health and substance abuse social worker would help them include group therapy, education, prevention, and crisis intervention. In this career, you may act as a manager to their case if your client has complex needs. You will also try to find underlying problems that had led to their substance abuse and find solutions to them.

The certificate program you undertake at West Hills College will give you the knowledge necessary to educate those about substance abuse and ways to prevent it. At West Hills College, you will be given the skills to help others and become successful in your career as a mental health and substance abuse social worker.

What would I earn as a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers?

In 2018, the average annual salary for a mental health and substance abuse social worker in California was $50,520.

For more information on salary click here.

West Hills Programs Offered Leading to this Career:

Coalinga College:

Lemoore College: 


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