Substance Abuse Counselor Requirements

Substance abuse counselor requirements in the United States vary, depending on both the credentials sought and the particular state involved. Substance abuse counselor licenses are available in many states; however, some states continue to offer no credentials higher than a substance abuse certification for substance abuse counselors. Requirements for a license or certification are basically the same, although substance abuse counselors can only practice independently in states that offer licenses for such practices. Counselors who have neither a license or certification within the field of substance abuse are not actually considered substance abuse counselors, although they may perform many similar duties under the direction of a qualified professional or licensed or certified substance abuse counselor.

Levels of license and education

• Substance abuse counselor licenses are available as an associate or independent substance abuse counselor. Associate applicants are those who are working toward obtaining the required educational level, work experience and supervision necessary to become an independent licensed substance abuse counselor. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education is necessary to become an associate licensed substance abuse counselor. A master's degree from a likewise accredited institution of higher learning is required to become a licensed independent substance abuse counselor.

Coursework

• Associate licensed substance abuse counselors are required to have a bachelor's degree that includes at least 30 semester credit hours of coursework from an accredited institution of higher learning. Independent licensed substance abuse counselors are required to have a master's degree from an accredited institution of higher education, with at least 24 semester credit hours of documented coursework.

Work Experience

• Work experience is required for both associate and independent levels of licensed substance abuse counselor. The associate level of licensed substance abuse counselor requires 3,200 hours of related supervised work hours in addition to a bachelor's degree, while the independent substance abuse counselor license requires 3,200 supervised related work hours after completion of a master's degree. In both cases, the work hours must be completed within a period not less than 24 months, and 1,600 hours of the work experienced must be in direct client contact.

Clinical Supervision

• Both the associates and independent licensed substance abuse counselor credentials require 100 documented hours of face-to-face clinical supervision from a qualified professional in no less than 24 months of time. There 100 hours of supervision should be related to the work experience required and should cover the core components of substance abuse treatment, assessment, diagnosis, referral, counseling, treatment planning, prevention, interviewing, documentation, progress note writing and dealing with legal issues.

Written Examination

• The successful candidate for either the associate or independent licensed substance abuse counselor credential must pass a written examination offered by either the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (ICRC/AODA) or Level II or higher exams offered by the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). States that do not offer the licensing of substance abuse counselors have similar requirements of certified substance abuse counselors.