8702.1

An applicant shall present proof to the Board that he or she has graduated with at least an Associate's degree in a health or human services field, including but not limited to registered nursing, aging studies, criminal justice, health education, or mental health, from an accredited institution whose program is accredited by an entity recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The degree shall include the following coursework:

1. (a) Understanding the dynamics of human behavior and family systems – three (3) hours;
2. (b) Signs and symptoms of substance abuse – three (3) hours;
3. (c) Recovery process, stages of change, relapse prevention, treatment approaches, group dynamics and other adjunctive treatment recovery support groups, motivational interviewing, and models and theories of addiction – three (3) hours;
4. (d) Ethics, rules and regulations – three (3) hours;
5. (e) Professional identity in the provision of substance abuse services – three (3) hours;
6. (f) Crisis intervention – three (3) hours;
7. (g) Cultural factors and competencies in addiction – three (3) hours;
8. (h) Co-occurring disorders in interdisciplinary treatment – three (3) hours;
9. (i) Diagnostic and screening criteria in addictions – three (3) hours;
10. (j) Psychopharmacology resources in the treatment of addictions – three (3) hours.

8702.2 In lieu of the requirements for § 8702.1, an applicant for certification by waiver as an addiction counselor I, shall have two (2) years of supervised experience obtained while registered as an addiction counselor with such registration having been obtained on or after July 8, 2007, and shall have passed a national examination deemed acceptable by the Board.

8702.3

Any coursework listed in § 8702.1 that has not been taken in a degree program shall be taken in a program approved by the National Association of Alcohol and

Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) or shall be taken at a college or university accredited by an entity recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

8702.4 As part of the certification process for an addiction counselor II, an applicant shall present proof to the Board that he or she has graduated with at least a Bachelor’s degree in a health or human services field, including but not limited to registered nursing, aging studies, criminal justice, health education, or mental health, from an accredited institution whose program is accredited by an entity recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The degree shall include the following coursework:

1. (a) Understanding the dynamics of human behavior and family systems – three (3) hours;
2. (b) Signs and symptoms of substance abuse – three (3) hours;
3. (c) Recovery process, stages of change, relapse prevention, treatment approaches, group dynamics and other adjunctive treatment recovery support groups, motivational interviewing, and models and theories of addiction – nine (9) hours;
4. (d) Ethics, rules and regulations – three (3) hours;
5. (e) Professional identity in the provision of substance abuse services – three (3) hours;
6. (f) Crisis intervention – three (3) hours;
7. (g) Substance abuse counseling treatment planning and research – three (3) hours;
8. (h) Counseling skills for individual and group, motivational interviewing - three (3) hours;
9. (i) Cultural factors and competencies in addiction – three (3) hours;
10. (j) Co-occurring disorders in interdisciplinary treatment – three (3) hours;
11. (k) Diagnostic and screening criteria in addictions – three (3) hours; and
12. (l) Psychopharmacology resources in the treatment of addictions – three (3) hours.

8702.5 Any coursework listed in § 8702.3 that has not been taken in a degree program shall be taken in a program approved by the NAADAC or shall be taken at a college or university accredited by an entity recognized by

the U.S. Department of Education.

Source: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 57 DCR 11937, 11938 (December 17, 2010).