Substance Abuse Counselor Licensing

Substance Abuse Counselor Licensing

Cassi GatzkeLisa Narr

Lindsey RasmussenSuzanne Riederer

Educational Requirements for Substance Abuse Counselor

Licensing• Must have high school diploma, HSED, or GED• Must attend and complete 360 hours of specialized education in substance

use disorder counseling within a comprehensive program covering following areas (60 hours of each):• Substance Abuse Assessment• Substance Abuse Counseling• Substance Abuse Case Management• Substance Abuse Education• Substance Abuse Professional Responsibility• Electives within performance domains listed above

Educational Requirements for Substance Abuse Counselor Licensing• Context areas shall be infused with information and application to

practice that is responsive to the characteristics of individual, group, family, and couple clients and significant others seeking substance use disorder treatment including but not limited to age, gender, ability, disability, developmental level, sexual orientation, health status, ethnicity, culture, and social issues

• Complete and submit Application for Substance Abuse Counselor including all required documentation and pay required fee

• DSPS reviews application and makes eligible for IC&RC examination, if not already taken through WCB or other agency

Application for Substance Abuse Counselor

•Affidavit Regarding Supervised Experience •Application for Substance Abuse Counselors •Convictions and Pending Charges •Education and Training Form •ICRC Exam Registration Instructions •Instructions for Substance Abuse Counselor Application

http://dsps.wi.gov/Documents/Credentialing%20Forms/Health%20Application%20Forms/fm2749.pdf







International Certification &Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC)

• IC&RC develops and administers exams for seven reciprocal credentials:• Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC)• Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (AADC)• Clinical Supervisor (CS)• Prevention Specialist (PS)• Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP)• Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional (CCDP)• Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional Diplomate (CCDPD)


• Online open-book examination on the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code (if not have completed in the last 5 years)

• The state exam consists of material taken from the following statutes and code chapters:• SPS 7• SPS 164• SPS 165• SPS 166• SPS 167• Chapter 48• Chapter 51• Chapter 146• Chapter 440


• Purpose of exam is to familiarize yourself with locating statutes and administrative codes that regulate the practice of the profession; passing score on exam is 76%

• Statutes can be found here: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/rsb/stats.html• Administrative codes can be found here:

http://dsps.wi.gov/Documents/Board%20Services/Codebooks/964D%20POD%20Substance%20Abuse%20Advisory%20Committee-Book%20OCTOBER%202012.pdf

Reference

WI Department of Safety and Professional Services (n.d.) Substance Abuse Counselor Certification Information. Retrieved from http://dsps.wi.gov/Default.aspx?Page=64630e95-e33c-4032-99c7-a3aced7f8a79.