N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34C-2.3 - Application procedure: certified alcohol and drug counselor

(a) An applicant for certification as a certified alcohol and drug counselor shall submit the following to the Committee:

1. A completed application form, which contains information concerning the applicant's educational and experiential background;

2. The non-refundable application fee set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:34C-1.11;

3. An official transcript(s)/certificate(s) indicating that the applicant has satisfied the educational requirements set forth in (b)1 and 4 below;

4. The supervisor's certification indicating that the applicant has met the supervision requirements for certification as set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:34C-6; and

5. A Certification and Authorization Form for a Criminal History Background Check.

(b) An applicant shall furnish evidence that the applicant has:

1. Received a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree or a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency;

2. Completed 300 hours of supervised practical training in alcohol and drug counseling distributed among all of the following 12 core functions: screening, intake, orientation, assessment, treatment planning, counseling-individual, group and family, case management, crisis intervention, client education, referral, consultation and recordkeeping. This practical training may be part of the work experience pursuant to (b)3 below and may be completed under more than one agency or supervisor;

3. Completed two years of supervised work experience within five consecutive years immediately preceding the date of submission of the application. The two years of supervised work experience may be paid or voluntary time working directly with alcohol or other drug clients. Paid or voluntary time shall be directly related to the 12-core functions as set forth at (b)2 above;

i. A one year full-time equivalent shall be 1,500 hours over a 50-week period. Any hours over the required 1,500 hours per year may not be carried over into the succeeding year. The practical training required by (b)2 above may be part of the work experience set forth in this paragraph and may be completed under more than one agency or supervisor;

ii. The work experience requirement may be satisfied by work performed on a part-time basis, so long as the two year experience requirement is satisfied by completion of at least 3,000 hours within five consecutive years immediately preceding the date of submission of the application;

iii. Continuing education courses, workshops, seminars, unsupervised work experience, or formal education (except for the supervised practical training pursuant to (b)2 above) may not be substituted for the required work experience;

4. Completed 270 hours of alcohol and drug education, approved by member boards of the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Inc. (ICRC), the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), the Association for Addiction Professionals or a regionally accredited college or university, which shall be related to the knowledge and skill associated with the functions of an alcohol and drug counselor, including formal classroom education, workshops, seminars, institutes, in-service training or a maximum of 54 course hours in distance learning programs as follows:

i. Fifty-four course hours of assessment, with a minimum of six hours in each of the topics and distributed among all of the following:

(1) Initial interviewing process;

(2) Biopsychosocial assessment;

(3) Differential diagnosis;

(4) Diagnostic summaries;

(5) Compulsive gambling; and

(6) Psychopharmacology/physiology of addiction;

ii. Fifty-four course hours of counseling, with a minimum of six hours in each of the topics and distributed among all of the following:

(1) Introduction to counseling;

(2) Introduction to techniques and approaches;

(3) Crisis intervention;

(4) Individual counseling focused on addiction;

(5) Group counseling; and

(6) Family counseling;

iii. Fifty-four course hours of case management, with a minimum of six hours in each of the topics and distributed among all of the following:

(1) Community resources;

(2) Consultation;

(3) Documentation; and

(4) HIV positive resources;

iv. Fifty-four course hours of client education, with a minimum of six hours in each of the topics and distributed among all of the following:

(1) Addiction recovery;

(2) Psychological client education;

(3) Biochemical/medical client education;

(4) Sociocultural client education;

(5) Addiction recovery and psychological family education;

(6) Biomedical and sociocultural family education; and

(7) Community and professional education; and

v. Fifty-four course hours of professional responsibility, with a minimum of six hours in each of the topics and distributed among all of the following:

(1) Ethical standards;

(2) Legal aspects;

(3) Cultural competency;

(4) Professional growth;

(5) Personal growth;

(6) Dimensions of recovery;

(7) Supervision;

(8) Consultation; and

(9) Community involvement;

5. Attended 30 alcohol and drug abuse self-help group meetings of which a minimum of five meetings shall be in Alcoholics Anonymous; a minimum of five meetings shall be in Narcotics Anonymous; and a minimum of five meetings shall be in Alanon;

6. Successfully completed a written examination developed and prepared by the ICRC, or its successor; and

7. Successfully completed an oral examination developed and prepared by the ICRC, or its successor, on the applicant's written case presentation.

(c) An application shall be deemed abandoned and closed if:

1. The application has not been completed by the applicant within 12 months after it was received by the Committee; or

2. The applicant fails to sit for or pass the written and/or oral sections of the examination within 12 months or any 12-month period thereafter upon written notification of eligibility to take the examination.

(d) An application submitted subsequent to the abandonment of a prior application shall be treated as a new application and shall comply with the requirements of (a) and (b) above.

(e) After the third attempt or thereafter to pass the written and/or oral sections of the examination, the applicant may not reapply a fourth time or any time thereafter without having first successfully completed and passed a course(s) in the subject matter(s) in which the examination has demonstrated the applicant's deficiencies.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34C-2.3

Amended by 49 N.J.R. 664(a), effective 4/3/2017