Educational Requirements:

1. Degree Requirement:

   • A Bachelor’s Degree is required.

2. Training Hours:

   • 200 clock hours of education are required.
   • There must be 90 hours in addiction studies and 90 hours in counseling.
   • The remaining hours can fall within behavioral sciences.
   • In addition to the clock hours, the applicant must complete:
     • 6 hours of education in Professional Ethics and Responsibilities.
     • 4 hours of HIV/AIDS Education.

   Note: Education is defined as formal classroom education, which can include workshops, seminars, institutes, in-services, and college or university work.

Work Experience Requirements:

1. Experience Requirement:

   • 3 years or 6,000 hours of work experience related to substance abuse counseling.
   • Supervised Work Experience: Experience must be under the supervision of a clinical supervisor and must be in the IC&RC performance domains of assessment, counseling, case management, education, and professional responsibility.
   • Supervision: Clinical supervision should include activities like case review, direct observation, and other methods aimed at developing counseling skills.

2. Educational Exchange for Experience:

   • A Bachelor’s or an advanced degree in Behavioral Sciences can substitute for one year of the three-year work requirement.

Supervision and Evaluation Requirements:

1. Supervision Log and Counselor Evaluation Form:
   • A Supervised Work Log and a Counselor Evaluation Form must be completed by an immediate supervisor and sent directly to the Arizona Board for Certification of Addiction Counselors (ABCAC).
2. Letters of Recommendation:
   • Two letters of recommendation are optional but highly encouraged, and they can be replaced by letters of reference if applicable.

Examination Requirement:

• The applicant must pass the IC&RC exam for Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor certification.

Ethics Requirement:

• The applicant must sign the Code of Ethics provided by ABCAC, which aligns with the National Association of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) ethical standards. This includes principles such as non-discrimination, responsibility, competence, client welfare, confidentiality, and more.

Fees:

• The fee for applying is $375.00, which covers:
  • Application manuals, processing fees, the IC&RC exam, and two years of certification.
  • If the applicant has already passed the IC&RC exam, the fee is $200.

Application Checklist:

• The application should include:
  1. Education and Experience Documents: Copies of training certificates and transcripts.
  2. Supervision Field Work Log(s) submitted by the supervisor.
  3. Evaluation Forms submitted directly by the supervisor.
  4. Two letters of recommendation (optional but encouraged).
  5. Application Fee.

The complete application, along with all the supporting documents, should be emailed or mailed to [email protected] or to their physical address in Phoenix, Arizona.