Alcohol and Drug Counselor Requirements in New Jersey
From the streets of Newark and Camden to the suburbs of Seaside Heights and Atlantic City, drug addiction has its clutches on the Garden State. But for every story of addiction and every grim statistic there’s hope in the form of state and local resources to help. And at the heart of these programs and agencies big and small are substance abuse counselors who have committed their careers to helping New Jersey’s most vulnerable citizens.
New Jersey alcohol and drug counselors are regulated and credentialed by the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee at two levels:
- Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), a bachelor’s level credential
- Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), a master’s level credential
You must first register as an ADC Intern before you can begin completing the required clinical experience hours toward CADC or LCADC certification/licensure.
Select a New Jersey Alcohol and Drug Counselor Topic Below…
- Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Requirements
- Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Requirements
- Application Process
- Reciprocity
- Additional Information
Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Requirements
To become a CADC, you must earn a bachelor’s degree, complete a practicum of at least 300 hours, and complete at least 270 hours coursework in drug and alcohol counseling. The coursework may be part of your degree program or taken outside of it through a regionally accredited college or university or program that’s been approved by member boards of the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), or the Association for Addiction Professionals. You can locate approved providers here.
Of the required 270 hours, you must complete at least 54 hours in EACH of the following areas: assessment, counseling, case management, client education, and professional responsibility.
You must also complete at least two years (3,000 hours) of supervised experience. You must be registered as an ADC Intern and work under a qualified supervisor while gaining this experience. You’ll apply for the ADC Intern license through the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs MyLicense Online Licensing portal.
Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Requirements
To become an LCADC, you must earn a master’s degree in an addictions or counseling related field and at least 18 graduate semester hours in counseling (either as part of the degree or separate from it) that cover the following areas:
- The helping relationship
- Counseling practice and theory
- Counseling profession
- Growth and development/ maladaptive behavior
- Social and cultural foundations
- Group dynamics, counseling, processing, consulting
- Lifestyle/ career development
- Individual assessment
- Pharmacology and physiology
- Research and evaluation
If you hold a CADC, you’ll have already met all other requirements for licensure.
The Application Process
Once you’ve completed all education and experience requirements under an ADC Intern license, you’ll be ready to apply to become a CADC or LCADC through the MyLicense Online Licensing portal.
Once your application is approved (you’ll receive an Approval to Test letter), you’ll receive instructions for registering to take the written and oral Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) exams through the IC&RC. You’ll need to register through the Certification Board of New Jersey. (Note: If you’ve already taken and passed this exam as a CADC, you can skip this step when applying for the LCADC license.)
Learn more about the ADC exams here.
Reciprocity
Addiction counselors may be granted reciprocal credentials if their licensing/certification standards are deemed to be substantively similar. Addiction counselors who hold certification through an IC&RC member board will have reciprocity processed by the Addiction Professionals Certification Board. The APCBNJ will provide a transcript to the New Jersey licensing agency verifying coursework in applicable domains.
Additional Information
You can contact the New Jersey Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee at [email protected] or (973) 504-6582.
The New Jersey Association for Addiction Professionals, the state NAADAC affiliate, is an additional professional resource.