Florida Licensing & Certifications for Associates & Independent Counselors
The State of Florida oversees the quality of drug and alcohol abuse treatment and licenses provider facilities. The Florida Department of Children and Families, Substance Abuse Program Office certifies providers but does not directly certify substance abuse counselors. The independent non-profit Florida Certification Board offers certification for substance abuse counselors. Florida laws permit the FCB certifications, and the highest levels, the Certified Addiction Professional and the Master’s Certified Addiction Professional meets the requirements for a qualified professional under Florida law.
The Florida Certification Board has four types of substance abuse professional certification; Florida certifies Certified Addiction Specialists, Certified Addiction Counselors, Certified Addiction Professionals and Certified Master’s Level Addiction Professionals.
Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS)
This replaces the Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS is no longer available from the FCB). The CRSS is the basic level of certification. It requires acceptance of the FCB ethics agreement, completion of 75 training hours, a complete criminal background check, three professional references, and 1,000 hours of clinical supervision. Applicants must pass the Florida Recovery Specialist examination.
Certified Addiction Counselor CAC
This requires up to 6000 hours of related work experience, up to 300 hours of supervised training in core areas like evaluation, documentation and managing records, ethics, drug education, treatment planning, and referral to other counselors. Associates and bachelor’s degrees reduce the amount of experience and training required.
Certified Addiction Professional (CAP)
This is the certification level recognized in Florida law as a qualified professional. The certification requires 350 hours of professional training, three professional references, an accredited bachelor’s degree or higher in a related social science field, and 6,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. Applicants with master’s degrees or higher in counseling only need 400 hours. Applicants must accept the FCB professional ethics code and pass the Florida Alcohol &Drug exam.
Certified Master’s Level Addiction Professional (MCAP)
This is an enhancement for master’s level applicants that already have their CAP certificate. The MCAP certifies readiness to develop and assess drug abuse treatment plans. The MCAP requires 200 hours of direct supervision experience in treatment evaluation, ethics, planning, counseling, education, documentation, and information management.
Education Requirements
The education requirements vary for the type of certification in question. The Master’s Certified Addiction Professional requires a master’s degree or higher in a related field. The Certified Addiction Professional requires a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the CRSS and certified addiction counselor CAC certifications can proceed with a High school diploma or GED.
Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) Requirements
The Support Specialist is an ideal vehicle for gaining entry level into the filed. It is appropriate for recovered addicts and those with personal experience in drug or alcohol addictions such as family members of recovered addicts. Recovered addicts are an essential part of treatment, particularly in group settings. Counselors offer information and apply approved techniques to promote recovery. Recovered addicts can speak with a voice of authenticity that can reach many recovering addicts. Support specialists support the work of professionals and counselors.
- The CRSS education requirement is a minimum of high school diploma or GED. The certificate requires 75 hours of training in the core competency of Alcohol and Drug treatment.
- 1,000 hours of supervised work experience on Alcohol and drug treatment with 100 hours of direct supervision.
- Pass the Florida Support Specialist Exam
- Perform 10 CEU each year for renewal
The Certified Addiction Counselor CAC Certification Requirements
Certified Addiction Counselors must have a high school diploma or equivalent. The college education levels reduce the training and work experience requirements.
The certified addiction counselor CAC level requires a High School education or equivalent. Many applicants have associate’s or bachelor’s degrees, and the system reduces their work experience, supervised training, and competency training hours based on their level of formal education.
The CAP Certification Requirements
Formal education requirements
Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Candidates with degrees in related social fields such as psychology, mental health, or family counseling may have lower experience and clinical supervision requirements later in the process.
Competency Training- Applicants must show that they have completed 350 hours of coursework covering nine areas of professional competence. They can apply college credits without time limit, but they must apply training hours performed within ten years of the date of application. The below-listed items describe the required competencies and training hours required for CAP certification.
- Counseling requires 50 hours of coursework or equivalent
- Clinical evaluation - 35 credit hours or equivalent
- Treatment planning – 20 hours of coursework
- Case management and referral – 10 credit hours or equivalent
- Education – 15 hours or equivalent in coursework
- Professional and educational responsibilities – 30 hours of coursework
- Documentation – 15 class credit hours or equivalent
- Administrative supervision – 15 hours or equivalent
- Addiction and treatment knowledge – 80 hours of coursework
- Application to practice – 80 hours of coursework or equivalent
The Master’s Certified Addiction Professional Requirements
This important credential certifies the capability to assess, develop, and provide treatment services and treatment plans. They must have a master’s degree or higher in substance abuse counseling or a closely related field of study. MCAP certified persons are ‘qualified professionals’ within the meaning of Chapter 397, Florida Statutes. They have the legal authority to make substance abuse diagnosis for purposes of the Florida Medicaid Plan. MCAP holders can apply for the IC&RC ADC credential for use in other jurisdictions outside of Florida.
You can upgrade a CAP certification, transfer a qualified professional license to the MCAP program, and apply as a standard applicant. The certification requires proof of supervised training and educational achievement.
CACREP Accredited Online Certification
Two types of accreditation are recognized in the United States; institutional and specialized. Institutional accreditation takes the entire institution into account while the specialized focus on professional preparation programs. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is a specialized accreditation that focuses on master’s and doctoral degree programs in substance abuse counseling at colleges and universities worldwide. Only already-accredited institutions are eligible for CACREP review. The review for accreditation will center on programs offering graduate degrees in substance abuse counseling.
Choosing a CACREP-accredited program ensures that the program meets the highest of quality standards. Many counseling specialties are accredited bythe CACREP, including addiction counseling. Accredited addiction counseling programs prepare individuals to work with those affected by addictive behavior and their families. Addictive behaviors include alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, sex, and anything else that negatively affects your personal or work life by creating addiction behaviors.
CACREP-accredited programs will focus on treatment models and the phases of addiction including prevention, recovery, and relapse prevention. These 60-semester hour programs will include the application of interventions. When students choose a CACREP-accredited program they can be confident that:
- the program meets or exceeds national standards
- the program will focus on professional counseling rather than psychology oreducation
- the program has an excellent reputation
- CACREP graduates statistically receive higher scores on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE).
- the requirements for licensure will be met.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Once achieved, the CAP certification requires 20 hours of continuing education each calendar year. The continuing education must cover changes in rules and regulations, new developments in the field. The continuing education should involve the competencies needed to be an effective substance abuse counselor. The rules require annual renewal of the license and payment of the license fee. The renewal date is June 30 of each calendar year.