State Provider Associations

Certification and Training

National organizations such as the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Inc. (IC&RC) and NAADAC (the Association for Addiction Professionals) oversee the certification of addiction counselors. State associations are affiliated and/or work with one or both of these organizations. For instance, IC&RC is affiliated with 44 states, and NAADAC is affiliated with 46 states.

Considering the past and current status of addiction counseling education and training, state associations linked with these certification bodies play a crucial role in the quality control of the profession.

MaryLouise Kerwin, Katherine Walker-Smith, and Kimberly Kirby reviewed state requirements for addiction counselors and uncovered the following statistics. Forty-five percent of states currently do not even require a college degree to qualify as an addiction counselor, and only 3% require a graduate degree. However, as of 2007, 50% of states mandate creden-tialing to practice addiction counseling (e.g., passing a professional examination). More and more states require some form of credentialing every year. Some states require the equivalent of six college courses worth of training (i.e., 270 hours or more). When compared with mental health counseling peers, addiction counselors are mandated to fewer classroom hours of instruction but must complete 1,000 more hours of supervised training. Therefore, the state associations (as they work with the IC&RC or NAADAC) assist in the quality control of the profession by organizing the professional credentials that are voluntary or mandated in the state.

Addiction counseling has traditionally operated via the "apprentice model," wherein supervision stresses tasks and a "how to" model as opposed to a conceptual training model focus. Consequently, addiction counseling practices become facility or region specific. For instance, many addiction counselors in traditional therapeutic communities return to the same facility where they received treatment to work as counselors.

State associations combat this quality control issue by offering workshops, continuing education, training, and statewide conferences on issues such as counseling practices, addiction, assessment and evaluation, HIV/AIDS, violence, co-occurring disorders, and poly-substance disorders. State association-sponsored conferences typically draw regionally and nationally respected speakers while offering most, if not all, of the continuing education credits required each year. Thus, addiction counselors from facilities and private practices all throughout a state can gather, learn, and network while maintaining their professional credentials.

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