During the past 25 to 30 years, the alcohol and drug counseling profession has developed and matured. Arising from a group of recovering people who were committed to help their fellow citizens, basic competency standards were established, and a mechanism to measure those competencies was developed. Creating the certification process and benchmarks was a defining event in the alcohol and drug counseling profession. Now the profession has reached another level in its development as it advocates for licensure for addiction counselors.
In the 1970s, standards were established for certifying alcohol counselors. The 1980s saw the movement to combine drug counseling and alcohol counseling into a single set of standards. Private, volunteer boards were created to set and maintain the standards for assessing competency.
The state boards developed similar criteria and entered into reciprocity agreements based on the formalization of the process. Achieving this in such a brief time was remarkable. This system has served the profession admirably during this quarter of a century. Professional maturation and changes in the marketplace and in the delivery of treatment, however, force us to move to the next level of credentialing.
Currently, 13 states have passed licensure bills for alcohol and drug counselors. These bills range from practice acts (meaning that you must be licensed to provide this service), to title acts (which only required that you be licensed if you want to call yourself by that title). Because this is an era of anti-regulation and most states are trying to reduce regulatory authority, the passage of these bills is especially noteworthy. At this time, at least 11 states have introduced licensure legislation which either is still being considered or is to be brought back to state legislative bodies for consideration in another session.
There are multiple effects of licensure laws on alcohol and drug counselor qualifications which vary by state. Many of the laws have a tiered system which allows for two or three levels of licensure. Independent practice generally requires a master’s degree under the law. Counselors who have either a bachelor’s or associate’s degree or a high school diploma are licensed to work under supervision. Secondly, in most states a “grandparenting” period is included in the bill which allows counselors who have experience or who are in the process of getting the required education to continue to practice.
Some states are combining the alcohol and drug licensing process with a composite board of behavioral healthcare professionals. In other states, the existing certification board may be empowered to provide oversight of the process. In most cases, the appointment of the board members comes under the discretion of the governor’s office or a bureaucratic process. There is continuing interest in the licensure process, and the ensuing several years will see an increased number of bills introduced. According to our data, 16 states are either in the process of drafting bills or will be discussing such legislation within the year.
Traditionally, voluntary boards have overseen the credentialing process. They have also served as the ethics review committees for certified counselors. Under licensure, this oversight and sanctioning process becomes regulated by the state government. In an age of consumerism, statutory enforcement is the ultimate consumer protection. Self-regulation can appear self-serving and less than objective.
Another change that is both a byproduct of licensure is an increase in the education requirements for counselors. In a field that emerged from the ranks of the recovering community, the imposition of degrees from academic institutions has created some upheaval. In the beginning, counselor credentialing was a competency-based model, which required experience in the field and the mastery of a set of core functions. Credentialing require-ments now may include both academic preparation and demonstration of competency. Experience, specific training and passing relevant exams are still an integral part of any licensing process.
As the alcohol and drug counseling profession matures and evolves, we can expect to see the requirements change. Licensure is a natural part of this development.
(The opinions expressed here are solely the author’s and are not to be attributed to NAADAC.)
Linda Kaplan is the executive director of the National Association for Alcoholism
and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) and a national spokesperson for addiction treatment issues.
She has played a central role in establishing a model system for continuing the development of
professional standards and a national certification program for treatment professionals.