Nevada Licensing & Certifications for Associates & Independent Counselors
Nevada offers three main types of licensure to counselors seeking a career path in the field of addiction counseling and recovery.
The first step for many prospective counselors is to begin at the CADC-Intern level. This involves integration of experience and education early on in a candidate’s career.
Individuals who already hold a college degree will be eligible for certification based on their level of education. Substance abuse counselors who hold a bachelor’s degree are known as Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC). Counselors with a master’s level degree may be eligible for licensure as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).
Counselors may also obtain the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) credential by adding a comprehensive knowledge of mental health disorders to their clinical repertoire.
CADC-Intern Requirements
Prospective substance abuse counselors who are still in the process of completing their education requirements are called Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Interns (CADC-Interns).This credential allows students to gain experience as a certified alcohol and drug counselor while still working toward their degree.
To qualify as a CADC-Intern, students must have a high school diploma or GED, and must be enrolled in college classes. (Students who aren’t currently in school must submit an affidavit stating their intent to enroll at the beginning of the next semester). The education requirement for non-degreed interns allows for a great deal of scheduling flexibility; students aren’t obligated to take more than one course per semester.
The CADC-Intern must enter a Supervision Agreement with a licensed and approved supervisor, with the intern being directly supervised for at least one hour per week. The supervisor themselves must observe the intern’s work for at least one hour per month. The agreement states that the intern should receive evaluations from their supervisor every six months.
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 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 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.
Supervised Experience Requirements
In order to advance beyond the intern level, substance abuse counselors seeking licensure will need to complete a predetermined number of experience hours. The specifics of this requirement vary greatly based on prospective counselors’ education levels.
Candidates without any post-secondary education in addiction topics will need to complete at least 4,000 hours of practical training to achieve the CADC or LADC credentials. Candidates whose bachelor's or master's degree involved an understanding of addiction topics may be eligible for a reduced experience requirement of 1,500 hours.
Individuals pursuing a career as a clinical licensed alcohol and drug counselor are obligated to complete just 2,000 hours of experience. However, these hours must take place following graduation from an accredited degree program. The experience must include substance abuse treatment of clients with co-occurring mental disorders, and the diagnosis of such disorders.
Some social science professions allow for easy transition into the field of substance abuse counseling. Candidates who hold a graduate degree and are working as a social worker, nurse, or family therapist, for example, may be eligible to receive licensure as a clinical addiction counselor following six months of supervised experience.
Examination Requirements
After completing the experience requirement, prospective counselors must take both an oral and written examination. The exams for the CADC and LADC credentials are administered by the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC).
Candidates working toward a CADC will need to take the Level II written exam. Upon passing with a 70% or higher, they will be eligible to take the oral exam.
Prospective LADCs will need to take the Master Addiction Counselors (MAC) exam. After passing with a 70% or higher, they can move on to the oral exam.
Individuals seeking licensure as a clinical alcohol and drug counselor will need to take the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling (NCMHC) exam. This is administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).
Testing dates and locations can be found on the Board's website. Candidates who have completed all of the requirements for the exam but have yet to take the test can practice under a provisional license from the state of Nevada.
The exam is not required for those already holding the Licensed Clinical Social Work credential, as well as psychologists and marriage and family therapists.
After passing both the written and oral exams (if required), candidates should be eligible to submit an application for licensure to the Board, as well as copies of fingerprints for a background check and an application fee of $150.
In total, prospective counselors can expect to pay $480. This includes a fee of $170 for the written exam, $100 for the oral exam, the $150 application fee, and a $60 processing fee.
Renewal and Continuing Education
A substance abuse counselor license in Nevada must be renewed every two years.
In that time, counselors are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of continued education. Three of these hours must be spent in ethics training. An additional three hours must be spent reviewing confidentiality standards and HIPAA laws.
Unlike some states, Nevada allows for 100 percent of continued education hours to be completed online.
In order to count toward the 40-hour requirement, continued education classes must be provided by an approved source. Credit hours may not already count toward an ongoing degree or on-the-job training.
Counselors must submit an affidavit describing the nature of their continued education hours. The Board advises that counselors hold on to records of hours for three years following the submission of each affidavit.