Addiction Counselor Requirements in Montana
Socioeconomic barriers, geographic barriers, and a high rate of substance abuse have made Montana a challenging environment in which to provide life-saving substance abuse counseling services. But the state’s addiction counselors are unrelenting, focused, and hard at work, reaching those in need every day. From reservations and tribal lands to remote communities to the urban center of Billings, addiction counselors are the backbone of Montana’s drug abuse recovery efforts.
Montana addiction counselors are regulated and credentialed by the Board of Behavioral Health as Licensed Addiction Counselors (LAC).
Select a Montana Addiction Counselor Topic Below…
- Education Requirements in Montana
- Supervised Experience Requirements
- Examination Requirements
- Out-of-State Addiction Counselors
- Application Process
- Additional Information
Educational Requirements
There are two different educational paths you can take to qualify for the LAC designation:
- Earn an associate’s degree or certificate in alcohol and drug studies, addiction, or substance abuse; OR
- Earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in alcohol and drug studies, psychology, social work, counseling, human services, psychiatric rehabilitation, or community health
You must also complete at least 330 hours of addictions coursework, which can be part of your degree or separate from it:
- Chemical dependency assessment and patient placement: 60 hours
- Counseling: 90 hours
- Pharmacology: 30 hours
- Ethics: 10 hours
- Alcohol and drug studies: 30 hours
- Treatment planning and documentation: 30 hours
- Multicultural competency: 20 hours
- Co-occurring disorders: 30 hours
- Gambling/gaming disorder assessment and counseling: 30 hours
Supervised Experience Requirements
You must also complete at least 1,000 hours of supervised addiction counseling experience in a qualified treatment program under the supervision of a qualified LAC supervisor. Depending on where you complete your experience hours, you may need to apply for the Licensed Addiction Counselor Candidate credential before you begin accruing the required supervised experience hours.
Once you’ve obtained the required hours, both you and your supervisor must complete and sign the Evaluation of Supervised Experience: LAC Candidate form. The completed form must be emailed to [email protected].
Examination Requirements
You must take and pass one of the following examinations to qualify for the LAC license:
- Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) National Certified Addiction Counselor Level I or Level II (NCAC I, NCAC II) exam;
- Northwest Certified II or III exam
- Southwest Certification II exam
- International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC) or Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (AADC) exam
Out-of-State Addiction Counselors
Out-of-state addiction counselors must provide verification from all other jurisdictions where they’ve held a certification/license. If you’ve been credentialed by another jurisdiction or by the military, you may be endorsed if you’ve passed the NAADAC exam (Level I or II) or another equivalent exam and have been practicing for the two years prior to your application.
The Application Process
You must submit your application online through the Department of Labor and Industry Citizen Portal.
You must also complete a criminal background check and have the results sent directly to the Montana Department of Justice. Instructions for obtaining your fingerprints are found here.
You must provide the Board with your passing exam score, a completed Addiction Specific Courses form, and a $250 application fee.
Additional Information
If you have any questions regarding the licensing process, contact Professional Licensing Customer Service at (406) 444-6880 or at [email protected].