OCCUPATION: DRUG AND ALCOHOL REHABILITATION SPECIALIST

Name: Milton Mucker

Company: Phoenix House

Thumbs up: “My job gives me the chance to give back what was given to me several years ago. I work at a long-term residential facility, so I am able to see kids progress to a different way of life.”

Thumbs down: “We know that we can’t reach everybody. But it’s still very difficult when one of the kids goes back to his old pattern. I no longer blame myself when one of them fails, but it’s still very disappointing, mainly because of the bond we form with them in treatment.”

Next step: “Occasionally I think about going back to school to get a master’s degree to become a family therapist. But my current job is a very satisfying way of life and I don’t know if the degree would add to that.”

Advice: “Don’t go into this thinking you are going to save everyone. There’s nothing anyone can say that will convince another person that it’s time to live differently. That has to come from within.”

Salary range: Approximately $18,000-$25,000 annually, depending on experience.

Hours: At teen residential programs, the counselor’s workday begins in the afternoon after schools dismiss classes, with hours extending into the late evening. Occasional weekend and holiday work is required. Other types of rehabilitation programs, especially those involving adults, may operate on a regular 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. schedule.

Educational and training requirements: Community colleges offer alcohol and drug rehabilitation certificate programs. After completing the certificate requirements, students become eligible to take any of the internship exams offered by various private drug and alcohol treatment organizations in the state. Internship length and requirements for further certification vary among the organizations. Many drug and alcohol rehabilitation specialists eventually complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree to become a licensed counselor.

Expected demand: Steady, but not increasing.

Job description: “We conduct group and individual counseling sessions to help people discover why they abused drugs and alcohol. But in addition to counseling, we are there to teach basic life skills and to serve as surrogate parents in a sense. That includes teaching them how to tie a tie, how to shine their shoes or sew on a button. Helping them with their homework, coaching them in athletics or teaching them photography is all just as important. We are there to develop a bond with them and show them how to become productive in society.”

Major employers: Residential drug and alcohol treatment programs, detention centers, hospitals, group homes and nonprofit organizations.

For more information: Contact the human services departments at Saddleback College, (714) 582-4911, or at Cypress College, (714) 826-2220.

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times