In Their Lane: The Professional Identity and Vital Role of Alcohol and Drug Counselors on the Road to Recovery

At the foundation of an alcohol and drug counselor’s (ADC) professional identity is a deep commitment to understanding the complex nature of addiction and recovery. While the role requires knowledge of the physiological, psychological, and social aspects of addiction, it is also defined by the ability to connect with people, walk beside them in their struggles, and advocate for their healing and growth. 

My professional identity is rooted just as much in personal experience as it is in formal training. I have seen firsthand how substance use, misuse, and addiction affect not only the individual, but also their families and communities. Watching loved ones navigate these challenges gives me a deep sense of empathy and compassion, and it instilled in me the belief that no one should be reduced to their diagnosis or defined by stigma. That experience continues to drive my motivation to serve individuals and families who are often underserved and misunderstood. 

This is where the unique identity of the ADC comes into focus. Our professional identity is shaped by both a clinical skill set and a relational mindset, blending evidence-based practice with empathy, cultural humility, and a deep understanding of recovery. While professional counselors, social workers, and other helping professionals all play vital roles in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs), the ADC credential specifically prepares professionals to address the biopsychosocial complexities of addiction.  

I often describe it as though we are all on the same highway, just in different lanes. Each role is essential, but the ADC lane is uniquely equipped for SUD counseling because it requires 270 hours of addiction-specific education and 3,000 hours of supervised experience focused directly on treating SUDs. 

My personal and professional journey has shown me how necessary each lane is, but also how critical it is to have counselors who are deeply immersed in addiction work. This blend of specialized training and lived empathy is what keeps me grounded in the work and committed to supporting clients and families through every step of their recovery. 

Over my decade of training at NJPN, which includes both time as a student and as an instructor, I have watched New Jersey become a national leader in treatment and recovery due to the development of clear and thoroughly researched guidelines establishing these “lanes.” 

At the 2017 NJPN Annual Conference, when I was a student at NJPN, meeting Carlo DeClemente!

 What I find especially powerful is how the focus has expanded over time. Early on, the emphasis was primarily on addiction treatment, but we have since moved toward addressing co-occurring mental health conditions alongside substance use.  

At the same time, the NJPN Learning Center has broadened its reach beyond the ADC workforce, equipping professional counselors, social workers, nurses, and other helping professionals with the skills to identify, intervene, and refer clients to the appropriate addiction specialists. In this way, the entire highway system has grown stronger, more connected, and better equipped to meet clients where they are. 

The Learning Center homepage is coming soon, you can visit our current offerings and subscribe to our mailing list here!

A more recently added highway is the Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS), individuals with lived experience who support those with SUDs. They’ve driven many roads and can offer directions, reassurance, and support when someone hits a rough patch or takes a wrong turn. Their personal journeys give them a unique ability to walk beside others, offering hope and insight from the driver’s seat of someone who’s been there. 

One of the most valuable ways CPRSs contribute is by helping clients build recovery capital, the internal and external resources a person can draw upon to sustain recovery. This includes life skills, coping strategies, social support, community resources, and overall health and wellness, just to name a few. CPRSs not only encourage clients to develop these resources, but they also model and teach practical, real-world skills to strengthen recovery. 

But while CPRSs walk alongside clients and help strengthen recovery capital, sometimes encouragement and skill-building alone are not enough. That’s where ADCs come in. With intensive training specific to addiction, ADCs understand the physiological, psychological, and social aspects of substance use—the inner workings of the vehicle.  

Counselors provide deeper healing work: exploring root causes, integrating evidence-based treatment, and helping clients fine-tune their alignment when the road gets bumpy. Together, CPRSs and ADCs form a powerful partnership, combining lived experience and clinical expertise to create comprehensive, client-centered care. 

I’ve had the honor and privilege of seeing that partnership in action through two training sessions I co-led with Timothy Ryan, CPRS, first virtually, and then in person in Tinton Falls, NJ. Both times, what struck me most was the honesty and energy that filled the space. In the virtual session, despite the distance, CPRSs and ADCs leaned into the conversation, sharing openly about the roles we each play and the places where we can better support one another.  

By the time we gathered in person, that same energy came alive in the room, stronger, more connected, and even more engaging. 

Tim and I presenting our joint training, Empowering Recovery Together: Combining Clinical Expertise and Peer Support for Lasting Change

I’ll never forget the way people listened to one another. Counselors gained new appreciation for the way peers use their lived experience to walk alongside clients, and peers expressed deep respect for the clinical expertise needed to address trauma, co-occurring disorders, and long-term treatment planning. There was laughter, moments of reflection, and a genuine sense of community as we all realized we weren’t just talking about collaboration, we were actively building it. 

Those trainings reaffirmed what I know to be true: recovery is strongest when lived experience and clinical practice come together. Timothy and I are now excited to take this message to the national stage at the NAADAC 2025 Annual Conference. We both passionately believe that building and sustaining recovery capital is not the responsibility of one role alone, it happens when all of us work together on this shared highway of recovery. 

Want to learn more about clinical addiction training at NJPN? Visit: www.njpn.org/clinical 

Victoria Nagel LCADC, CCS, LPC, NCC, ACS, BC-TMH is the Clinical Workforce Director at NJPN. Victoria has over ten years of experience in substance use disorder treatment, working in several different direct-client care positions including support staff, SUD counselor, co-occurring counselor, and clinical supervisors. She has also worked in administrative roles as a program director and clinical administrator.

Victoria is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program for Counselor Education and Supervision at Walden University and serves as an emerging editorial board member for the Journal of Addiction and Offender Counseling. Her master’s degree is in counseling from Caldwell University, and she took her initial LCADC coursework through NJPN.