Chemical Dependency Counselor Requirements in Texas
In Texas, you don’t need a license to get into substance use disorder (SUD) counseling. But if you want to diagnose clients or run your own practice, you’ll have to become a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor through the Licensing and Certification Unit of the Department of State Health and Human Services. By the end of this rigorous process, you’ll have all the experience, education, and expertise you need to serve an impressively wide range of clients.
Select a Texas Substance Abuse Counselor Topic Below…
- Counselor Intern Requirements
- Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor: Education and Training Requirements
- Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor: Examination Requirement
- Background Checks/Criminal History Evaluations
- The Application Process
- Additional Information
Counselor Intern Requirements
Before becoming a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in Texas, you’ll need to register as a Counselor Intern. To be eligible, you need to be 18 years or older, have a high school diploma or GED, and have 270 classroom hours of chemical dependency education under your belt.
135 of those hours should be dedicated specifically to the treatment of substance use disorders. The other 135 hours can be focused on related topics like counseling, psychology, mental health, and ethics. While you don’t need a degree to register as a Counselor Intern, your classes should be taken through a career school or an accredited college or university.
Next, you’ll need to complete a 300-hour supervised practicum. This also needs to be completed through a career school or accredited college or university. Over the course of your practicum, you’ll need to work on the four knowledge, skills, and attitudes areas outlined by the HHS: understanding addiction, treatment knowledge, applying theory to practice, and professional readiness.
If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher in chemical dependency counseling, you may be exempt from the education and practicum hour requirements. You can also qualify for exemption with a degree in a related field like:
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Social work
- Marriage and family therapy
- Counseling
- Education
- Any mental health specialty that involves mental health, human development, and psychotherapeutic concepts
Your Counselor Intern registration is good for five years. If you don’t meet all the requirements to become a full-fledged LCDC in that time, you can apply for a three-year extension.
Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor: Education and Training Requirements
Once you’re registered as an intern, you can start working towards becoming a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. At this point, if you don’t already have a degree, you’ll need an associate degree or higher in any field to qualify for full licensure.
Your biggest task during this part of the process is completing 4,000 hours of supervised experience working with people battling chemical dependency. Throughout your supervised experience, you’ll work on different dimensions of the four KSAs. You’ll need to work under a Certified Clinical Supervisor or at a clinical training institution (CTI). CTIs are recovery treatment providers who have registered with the HHS to work with interns. They can be detox facilities, hospitals, schools, prisons, or even churches.
If you have a master’s or doctorate in social work, chemical dependency counseling, or another counseling-related field, the HHS may exempt you from the experience hour requirement. To be eligible, you’ll need to have taken at least 48 semester hours of classes at the graduate level.
Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor: Examination Requirement
Before you actually take your final exam, you’ll need to submit two letters of recommendation from Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselors. Consider asking your supervisor or anyone else you worked closely with while earning experience hours for recommendations.
You won’t register for the exam through the HHS. You’ll register through the Texas Certification Board (TCB), also known as the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals. The TCB is actually a local affiliate of the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), one of the world’s largest certification agencies for recovery professionals. As such, you’ll be taking the IC&RC’s Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Exam.
The ADC Exam is made up of 150 multiple choice questions. You can either take it at an approved testing site or at home under the supervision of an online proctor. You’ll also answer questions about a few hypothetical client cases. You can find prep materials on the TCB website. If you don’t pass the first time, you can take the ADC Exam again after 90 days.
Background Checks/Criminal History Evaluations
During the intern registration stage, you’ll have to pass a background check through the Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST) system. You can schedule an appointment through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Fingerprinting Service. The HHS doesn’t maintain a full list of disqualifying crimes, but if you do have any past charges, they may review your case to determine eligibility.
The Application Process
Throughout the process of becoming a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in Texas, you’ll be asked to submit various forms and documents. For instance, you’ll need transcripts to prove you’ve completed all education hours and a form to prove you’ve completed your supervision hours. All of these forms can be found on the HHS’s LCDC New License Registration webpage.
Another thing to keep in mind are the various fees you’ll have to pay. Currently, the application fee for Counselor Interns is $25 and the background check fee is $40. The fee to register for the ADC Exam through the TCB is $250. The fee for upgrading your intern license to the full LCDC license is $85.
Additional Information
If you have any specific questions about your own application, you can reach out to the HHS’s Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor Program by email (listed on their site) or by phone at 512-438-5446. They also maintain an up-to-date database of laws and regulations.
Questions about the exam can be directed to the Texas Certification Board. The TCB also offers a number of continuing education resources and certifications. Those certifications aren’t legally required, but they can help you show off your expertise.
If you want to get involved in the state’s large recovery network, check out the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals. They’re the local chapter of the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), one of the nation’s leading counselor organizations. They host conferences, workshops, and keep their finger on the pulse of legislative developments.