What to Know About the Substance Abuse Counseling Certification and Licensure Process

learning in group therapy Like any other behavioral healthcare profession, the community has a strong interest in making sure that addiction counselors treating substance abuse meet the right professional and ethical standards for effective care.

That’s why performing professional counseling work for patients with substance use disorders (SUD) will almost certainly require that you obtain either a license or certification.

While the requirement to get an official seal of approval for offering your services seems straightforward enough, the reality is that the landscape of legal credentials for drug and alcohol counseling is often confusing.

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Understanding the Differences Between Certification and Licensure in Substance Abuse Addiction Counseling

If you are coming into the world of professional counseling from the outside, you should start by understanding the differences between certification and licensure.

Licensure: A legal grant of authority from a state government agency with a specific scope of practice to provide substance abuse counseling
Certification: A process of evaluation through a non-government professional association that establishes a baseline of knowledge and skills that endorses the holder as a qualified expert in the field of substance abuse counseling

You can think of it this way: In some states, substance abuse counseling is state-regulated, and in those states, you have to be licensed through a government agency. In other states, the field is industry-regulated, in which case professional associations offer the certifications that employers require counselors to have.

One important thing to grasp is that licensure is always an official process governed by a state authority that vets candidates and grants legal authority to practice substance abuse counseling. Now, to make things confusing, some state government credentialing agencies do use the term certification to describe some or all of the credentials they offer. This is just the term, though.

The bottom line is that if you work in a state where your credential originates from a government agency, it meets the definition for licensure and is established in state law with a defined scope of practice. This can provide more protections for the public, as well as title protections for practitioners, ensuring that only licensed holders can offer services under the banner of addiction or substance abuse counseling.

Certification is offered through an organization outside of government, usually a non-profit, and effectively grants the same kind of authority. In fact, in most states with a non-governmental credentialing body, the state government has essentially delegated the authority to assess expertise and capability to an officially designated professional board. Still, states that do this are less involved in directly regulating the field, instead deferring to the industry to handle the vetting process for qualified counselors.

Substance Abuse Counseling Credentials Serve a Number of Important Purposes, for Both Counselors and Clients

You have to become licensed or certified at the state level to comply with legal or industry-regulatory standards to be able to provide substance use disorder treatment. Those legal standards and requirements will vary from state to state—in fact, you will find places where they are relatively lax and others that are pretty strict about who and how addiction treatment is performed.

For the public, the purpose behind credentialing is clear. It ensures patients that they are seeking help from someone who has demonstrated through lengthy periods of pre-professional supervised experience and examination that they have the skills and ethical grounding to provide safe and effective counseling services.

Credentialing does a lot for practitioners, too, of course. At a minimum, getting licensed or certified gives you the legal authority to describe yourself as an addiction counselor. There are usually penalties for individuals who represent themselves as such without holding the proper credentials, particularly in states where the government handles licensing and maintains laws on the books to prevent such practices.

Some states go beyond this, also setting standards for professional conduct and detailing precisely what services can be provided under different credential levels. In other words, no one without that credential may be able to assess substance use disorders, test for drugs or alcohol in a patient’s system, make a diagnosis or offer treatment. This is welcome protection for any of your patients, who have every right to expect ethical and effective treatment.

It also provides some protections for credentialed counselors. State regulations govern official processes for registering and processing complaints against professionals, ensuring fair and uniform investigations and disciplinary actions.

Finally, you’ll usually find that insurance companies are not eager to issue payment to any counselor practicing without such a credential, assuming one is available. Since an estimated $35 billion per year flows through insurance plans toward drug and alcohol treatment, that’s likely a substantial part of your practice.

A Look at Different License and Certification Levels in Addiction Counseling

Both licensing and certification in the world of substance abuse counseling come at different levels. These levels are separated by different qualifications in terms of education and experience, and they lead to varying levels of practice authority and supervision.

Unfortunately, there are often significant differences from state to state in what kinds of license or certification levels in drug and alcohol counseling are available, or even what the qualifications are for them.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a report in 2019 that took a stab at offering a consistent picture of the license and certification hierarchy for the substance use disorder workforce across the country. Their analysis came up with six different levels of credentials:

Peer Counselor – Specialists in recovery themselves with special training but often with only a high school education
SUD Technician – Assists SUD patients in the details of recovery plans, having minimal training and a high school diploma or equivalent
Associate SUD Counselor – Offers treatment under close supervision with standard training and an associate’s degree.
SUD Counselor – Delivers SUD counseling with supervision and moderate training and experience, usually with a bachelor’s degree
Clinical SUD Counselor – Offers a high level of counseling with minimal supervision through extensive training, experience, and a master’s degree.
Independent Clinical SUD Counselor/Supervisor – Can deliver clinical counseling in any context and supervise other therapists, through a master’s degree, in-depth training, and experience.

Of course, in a field where credentialing varies significantly from state to state, not every state grants credentials in every category listed above. There is even inconsistency in how states handle the authority granted within a common category – in some states, credentials that are supposedly in the same category as those in other states may have different qualifications and a different scope of practice.

Two Big Organizations Cover the Examination Process for Substance Abuse and Addiction Counselors Across the Country

There are two major organizations that administer the exams used at the state level to certify substance abuse counselors. Which of these two organizations any given state aligns with comes down to preferences set by either the state licensing board or the local professional community in the case of states where non-government certification is offered.

Being in the industry, it’s good to understand the role these organizations play. Still, in most cases, you won’t be choosing between one or the other – the choice is made for you based on long-established relationships your state has with either of these organizations. In 11 jurisdictions, NAADAC exams are the only ones accepted. In 30, it’s only IC&RC exams. Only ten states accept either.

NAADAC – The Association for Addiction Professionals

NAADAC has been around since 1972 and was initially known as the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, but has broadened its scope to include all kinds of professionals and a broader range of addictions. It has local chapters in all 50 states since this organization offers voluntary professional certification directly through its national office. Additionally, more than 20 states use NAADAC exams as the final step to vet candidates for state-level credentials.

IC&RC – International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium

Like it says in the name, IC&RC operates internationally as well as in most states. Their focus is also broader than just counseling, taking in prevention and other recovery professional certifications as well. IC&RC certifications can only be obtained from state member boards. It has a presence in both industry-regulated states and those where the state government licensing agency acts as an IC&RC affiliate.

Credentialing in States Aligned with IC&RC Certification Standards

With IC&RC, you can only become certified through a state-level affiliate.

For states that align with IC&RC standards, the credentialing hierarchy generally follows the organization’s standard menu of certification options:

Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC)
Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (AADC)
Clinical Supervisor (CS)
Peer Recovery (PR/PR-A)

Some states have more than one IC&RC board, typically divided between peer support and prevention roles, and other, more advanced, counseling credentials.

Those credential levels aren’t necessarily referred to by the same name in each state where they are offered, however. For example, the ADC certification in California is referred to as the Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor Level II (CADC II), and the AADC there is the Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. As you might infer from the CADC II, that also means that state boards may offer credentials that aren’t on the IC&RC menu.

However, if you do earn one of the standard IC&RC credentials, you’ll have an easier time shifting your practice to any of the other states that use IC&RC for addiction counselor credentialing.

Credentialing in States Aligned with NAADAC Certification Standards

For the most part, NAADAC certs mirror those from IC&RC:

National Certified Addiction Counselor Level I (NCAC I)
National Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (NCAC II)
Master Addiction Counselor

State credentialing aside, any addiction counselor from any state can voluntarily elect to earn NAADAC certification. Grabbing a nationally recognized NAADAC certification is almost always optional from a legal perspective, but is often an important career-building step.

In fact, NAADAC will accept the results from IC&RC’s ADC or AADC exams for the purposes of earning the NCAC I/II credentials. However, NAADAC’s standards for experience are higher, and you must already have a state-approved credential (a license or current IC&RC cert) to apply.

Once you have NAADAC certification, you can use those qualifications to help you obtain a license in another state.

Practicing Addiction Counseling Under a License From Other Professional Fields

Just as counselors working with other types of addictions don’t always need a license that is specific to addiction counseling, there are many states where you can provide SUD counseling based on a license or certification in a related field.

The clearest and most common connection is for licensed psychologists. Many states allow clinical psychologists to deliver substance abuse counseling with no additional certification requirements.

Licensed professional counselors also often get a carve-out; licensed marriage and family therapists may have limited authority under their own certification to work with families dealing with substance abuse issues.

Finally, licensed clinical social workers frequently get some dispensation to provide treatment to clients with substance use disorders.

However, some states still require that these professionals obtain a separate certification in SUD counseling. Frequently, they are allowed to count their degree and experience toward the credential and only have to meet additional training hours and pass the right test. In other cases, it can serve as an endorsement of their existing credential.

But even when it’s not a strict requirement, many of these individuals seek out professional certification in substance abuse treatment for the extra training and proof of expertise they can offer clients and employers.

State Licensure and Certification Differ in the Details, but Always Follow a Similar Set of Steps

While there are key differences between certification and licensure, the process for earning both is almost identical. Even if the details vary, each rests on four pillars:

Level of Education – The formal college degree level you need, regardless of the major
Training – Specific SUD-related coursework, whether offered as part of a college degree or a stand-alone certificate program
Experience – Supervised fieldwork delivering hands-on counseling services while being mentored by experienced counselors. In many cases, certifications reduce the supervised work experience required in proportion to your level of education. For instance, a master’s graduate applying for ADC certification typically needs only 2,000 hours of experience, compared to the 6,000 required for someone with only a high school diploma.
Testing – A formal examination of knowledge and skill appropriate to the credential level has to be taken and passed. In some states, you may have to take an additional exam covering local legal and ethical requirements.

A commitment to ethics standards is also usually required. You’ll also have to pass a criminal background check, as do most behavioral health professionals.

Since many of the best substance abuse counselors have experienced addiction themselves, a criminal history won’t automatically disqualify you from practice in most states.

All these steps are part of how you become a substance abuse counselor. While the actual certification paperwork is a relatively small piece of that long process, it’s the critical step that lets you put all your knowledge and training to work.

Substance Abuse and Addiction Counselor License and Certification Options in Your State

You are probably already getting the picture that the landscape for addiction counselor licensing and certification depends entirely on the state you are in. We have compiled the state-specific resources you need to understand the exact education, training, and experience required to become certified or licensed as a substance abuse and addiction counselor in your state.

Keeping Substance Abuse Addiction Counseling Licenses or Certifications Current Is an Ongoing Process

In the world of addiction treatment, every certification or license at every level is more than just a one-and-done deal. At regular intervals, you’ll have to renew your credentials.

Renewal is typically conducted on a two-year cycle, whether you are considering state licenses or national certifications.

Maintaining your credentials also involves more than just filing some paperwork and submitting a fee. Almost every organization or agency also requires that you complete a certain number and type of continuing education hours during each renewal period.

CE, as it’s referred to, is a return to your days of studying the principles and practices of substance abuse treatment. You’ll typically have to rack up about 40 hours per year in relevant training sessions, or in alternative accepted activities such as:

Attending SUD organization conferences
Teaching a CE training yourself or making a conference presentation
Publishing a scholarly work on substance abuse in a relevant journal
Taking college classes related to addiction treatment

There is usually a broad range of options to meet your obligation. All of them help you stay up to date on the latest trends and techniques or even hone your specialization with different populations or types of addictions.

Overall, the process of licensing and certification has been a significant boost to the field of substance abuse treatment. While this may seem like an additional hurdle to overcome before you can start helping those who truly need it, you will come to appreciate the high standards and accountability it offers for your profession.

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