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(Drug and Alcohol Counsellor, Substance Misuse Counsellor, Addictions Keyworker, Drug and Alcohol Worker)
Health & Social Care
Salary
€32,000 - €58,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Growing
Sector
Health & Social Care
As an Addiction Counsellor you work directly with individuals and families who are affected by alcohol, drug, or other substance misuse, providing one-to-one counselling, group therapy, and crisis intervention. You assess a client's situation, develop personalised treatment and recovery plans, and monitor their progress over time, adapting support as needs change. You often collaborate with GPs, social workers, psychiatrists, and community workers to deliver a joined-up approach to care. Your caseload may include people dealing with unemployment, homelessness, mental health difficulties, or poverty as a direct result of their addiction. You may also develop and deliver prevention and education programmes aimed at young people or other high-risk groups in community settings.
Listen: a day as an Addiction Counsellor
You arrive at the community drug and alcohol service at half eight on a Tuesday morning, make a coffee, and log in to the case management system to check your caseload for the day. You have six one-to-one sessions scheduled, a group session mid-morning, and a multi-disciplinary team meeting after lunch. Before the first client arrives at nine, you read through your clinical notes from last week and flag that one client has missed two appointments in a row — you make a note to contact their support worker. Your morning sessions are intense. A client you have been working with for three months is showing real progress, and together you review the goals set in their recovery plan, updating the HSE-funded service's documentation accordingly. The next client is in early recovery from heroin use and is distressed; you use motivational interviewing techniques to explore what is driving a recent relapse, staying calm and non-judgemental throughout.
Helpful Leaving Certificate subjects include Biology, Psychology (if available), SPHE, and English, alongside any subjects that develop communication and analytical skills. The typical minimum entry route is an NFQ Level 7 Bachelor's degree in Addiction Studies, Counselling, or a closely related social care discipline offered at institutions such as TU Dublin, ATU, or SETU. Many practitioners hold an NFQ Level 8 Honours Bachelor's degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy or Social Care, which strengthens prospects and access to accreditation. Some candidates enter via a QQI Level 5 or 6 Community and Health Services PLC course and build experience in frontline drug and alcohol services before progressing to a degree. Professional accreditation through bodies such as Counselling and Psychotherapy in Ireland (CORU recognition is under development for counsellors) or Addiction Counsellors of Ireland (ACI) is expected by most employers. Supervised clinical hours are a requirement for accreditation, so placements during your studies are a critical part of your training.
Many Addiction Counsellors begin their careers in frontline community or residential drug and alcohol services, often in roles such as addiction keyworker or support worker while completing their qualifications. With accreditation and a few years of supervised practice, you can progress to a qualified counsellor role with greater clinical autonomy and a broader caseload. Experienced practitioners may move into senior or clinical lead positions, supervising junior staff and contributing to service development. Further postgraduate study at NFQ Level 9 in areas such as psychotherapy, mental health, or organisational leadership can open pathways into service management, policy work, or academic training roles.
AI tools are beginning to support addiction counselling through digital screening tools, risk assessment aids, and data-driven monitoring of client outcomes, which can help counsellors manage large caseloads more efficiently. Chatbot-based support apps and online recovery platforms are increasingly used alongside traditional counselling, particularly for clients with limited access to face-to-face services. However, the deeply human and relational nature of addiction counselling means that AI is unlikely to replace the therapeutic relationship, which is itself central to recovery. Counsellors will benefit from developing digital literacy to integrate these tools ethically and effectively into their practice.
→ Addiction Counsellor (Current role)
2 year • Health & Social Care
Bachelor4 year • Health & Social Care
Bachelor4 year • Social Sciences
Bachelor4 year • Social Sciences
Postgraduate2 year • Health & Social Care
Bachelor4 year • Health & Social Care
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Nationwide
Deliver frontline addiction counselling across HSE community drug and alcohol teams.
Dublin
Provide residential and outpatient addiction counselling and recovery programmes.
Dublin, Nationwide
Counsel homeless and marginalised individuals with complex addiction and dual diagnoses.
Knocklyon, Dublin
Deliver intensive residential and outpatient addiction counselling and family therapy.
Dublin
Provide harm-reduction counselling and support to people who use drugs.
Athy, Galway, Cork, Limerick, Newry
Offer residential addiction rehabilitation and one-to-one counselling nationally.
Dublin
Counsel patients with co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders.
Belfast, Dublin, Nationwide
Support individuals with addiction through community-based counselling and outreach.
Tallaght, Dublin
Deliver hospital-based addiction assessment, counselling, and liaison psychiatry support.
Dublin 1
Provide addiction counselling and recovery support specifically for women.
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