Substance abuse counselors in the state of Idaho are provided credentials from the Idaho Board of Alcohol Drug Counselor Certification (IBADCC). The Board offers 2 different levels of certification. These certifications are Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC) and Advanced Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ACADC).
Steps To Become A Substance Abuse Counselor In Idaho
Degree Requirements & Education
CADC applicants are required to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in a Behavioral Science field. ACADC applicants must have a Master’s Degree also in a Behavioral Science field. These fields consist of but are not limited to: Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, Social Science, Counseling, Alcohol, and Drug Studies.
CADC applicants will need to complete 270 clock hours of training/education. This may consist of seminars, classes, workshops, etc. 6 of these hours of training in Professional and Ethical Responsibilities. ACADC applicants will need to complete 180 clock hours of education. 1 semester credit from a college or university is equivalent to 15 clock hours. Practicum hours cannot be counted towards education, but will count for work experience hours.
Experience & Supervisor Requirements
Both the CADC and the ACADC applicants will be required to complete a certain amount of supervised work experience in the alcohol and drug counseling field. It is acceptable to have more than one supervisor. A supervisor must be:
- A CADC that has held their certification for at least 3 years and has completed 15 hour of training in supervision
- An ACADC or CCS
- Someone who holds a Master’s Degree and license in substance abuse counseling or Master’s Degree and certification in substance abuse counseling
- A Health and Welfare Clinical Supervisor
The CADC applicants will be required to complete 6,000 hours of supervised work experience within the 12 core functions which are: Screening, Intake, Orientation, Assessment, Treatment Planning, Counseling, Case Management, Crisis Intervention, Client Education, Referral, Reports and Record Keeping, and Consultation. If the CADC applicant has a Bachelor’s Degree, this will substitute for 2,000 hours of work experience. If the applicant holds a Master’s Degree, this will substitute for 4,000 hours of work experience. Those with a Bachelor’s Degree must work 200 hours under direct supervision. If the applicant has a Master’s Degree, the applicant will only need to complete 150 hours of direct supervision.
The ACADC applicant must complete 2,000 hours of work experience. 300 of these hours must be under direct supervision. The work experience can be voluntary or paid.
Application
All applications will be filled out and submitted through Certemy online. If the applicant has not already made an account, they will need to. For both the CADC and ACADC there will be an application fee of $80. Once the application has been approved, the applicant can sign up to take the exam. All transcripts should be mailed to the Board directly from the educational institution.
Exam
All applicants will be required to take and pass an exam by the IC&RC. The exam fee is $235. There are candidate guides, study materials, and practice exams available here: IC&RC Exam Prep. There is also a study guide available here: Ready To Test Study Material.
Renewal
Counselors will need to renew their certification every 2 years. There will be a renewal fee of $207. Renewal applications must be submitted on or before the expiration date on the counselor’s certificate. Renewal will be done on Certemy as well. There is a 30 day grace period from the day of expiration, but if the applicant does not renew within the grace period, they will have to pay a late fee. If the applicant’s certification is expired for 6 months, they will have to reapply and retest to achieve certification once again.
For questions regarding the certifications and registration process, the Board can be reached at ibadcc@ibadcc.org.
