Tennessee Education Requirements & Certification for Substance Abuse Counselors

Overview

Work as a substance abuse counselor is not easy, but it is infinitely rewarding. In addiction counseling, you will have the opportunity to not only help individual addicts, your impact will be much farther-reaching. Consider that most everyone you know has been touched in some form by the disease of addiction. They may have friends, family members, or coworkers who suffer from the disease and whom are causing them some degree of difficulty. Others might be victims of crimes perpetrated by drug addicts or suffer other negative outcomes from addict behavior.

Work Environment

The work environment of a substance abuse counselor is as varied as the individuals in the profession. A alcohol and drug counselor may choose to work full-time for a drug rehabilitation facility or some other mental health institution. A alcohol and drug counselor could also choose to work in a number of venues, piecing your work-life together in an ad-hoc fashion. A drug abuse counselor could also opt to work in private practice, helping addicts and their families work through the traumas that incited, and stemmed from, the addiction.

You will also find that rehabilitation facilities are not all the same. Some are found on sprawling campuses complete with horse stables, soaking pools, and nature trails. Others are far more bare-bones with patients living in standard apartments and commuting to a center for daily therapies. If you are the outdoors type, you might enjoy working in a wilderness immersion where addicts learn to live closer to nature as way of distancing themselves from a life of drugs and booze.

Still other substance abuse counselors might work part-time in a rehabilitation facility but also perform interventions, teach drug/alcohol awareness courses, and see a few clients in a clinical setting. The choice is up to you. Life as a substance abuse counselor can be as richly varied as you choose.

Tennessee Licensing & Certifications for Associates & Independent Counselors

Under Tennessee law, you will become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADC.) This designation has two tiers, I & II. Level I is attainable whether you have a bachelor's (or higher) degree or not. Level II is reserved for those with baccalaureate or master's level degrees and will allow you to enter private practice and enjoy wider professional flexibility and creativity.

Education Requirements

To become a LADC in Tennessee, at either level I or II, you must satisfy the state's education requirements. Those include 270 clock-hours of classroom training in the field of addiction. Your education should cover the following domains:

Though the state's documents don't specify that you must study at an accredited institution, that is recommended. With a degree from an accredited institution, your employment prospects rise, as does your opportunities in the long-term. If, for instance, you decide that you'd like to teach at some point, an accredited degree will open more doors than one from a non-accredited institution.

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 process of interventions. When students choose a CACREP-accredited program they can be confident that:

Counselor Testing & Examination Process

Once you have completed your education, are over the age of 21, and have completed the experiential part of licensure, you will need to pass a standard test. Your academic work includes 270 hours of classroom training in the field of chemical dependency, including six hours spent studying professional ethics for the field. If you are applying for level I, you only need to have a high school diploma, or the equivalent. Level II applicants must have a bachelor's degree in behavioral health or a master's degree in any field.

Tennessee also requires that all Level I applicants have completed a 6,000-hour experiential phase under the supervision of Board-licensed professionals. These hours should cover the eight domains as listed above and in TCA § 68-24-606. You must also be prepared to submit a written philosophy of treatment, which you will find defined in your licensure application process.

If you seek a Level II license but do not have a master's degree in behavioral health, you must complete 4,000 working hours with a qualified supervisor. If your degree is in behavioral health, you only need 2,000 hours of supervised experience.

The Tennessee Board of alcohol and drug abuse requires that all applicants be of upstanding moral character. If you have any previous legal troubles, make sure that you have satisfied the conditions of your sentencing prior to applying to become a LADC.

Once you have submitted your materials to the Board of alcohol and drug abuse, they will approve you to take your examination. They will provide you with a code that will admit you to a testing facility. The NCC AP works with Kryterion, a testing agency. In Tennessee, Kryterion has locations in Nashville and Murfreesboro. Be prepared to pay a base fee of $150, plus any administrative fees the state may levy.

For both Level I & II, you must take the corresponding National Certified Addiction Counselor (NCAC) exam from the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP.) For aspiring Level II LADCs, there is also an oral examination.

If you don't pass the examination on the first try, don't worry. You can reapply with the state to re-take the test.

Clinical Supervision Explained

Clinical supervision is a vital part of the pathway to licensure. You will need to secure a position in a drug rehabilitation facility or some other institution where you can work under the direct supervision of professionals whose licenses are either provided by the state of Tennessee or which are recognized by the licensing Board of alcohol and drug abuse. The requirements for your supervised hours changes depending on your credentials and desired license:

During your internship period, you should address the eight domains:

Make sure you document your experiences and the time you spend for each one. This way, you and your supervisor can review areas where you need to focus, and you can make sure that the state is satisfied with your hard work.

Renewal and Continuing Education

In order to maintain your license with the state of Tennessee, you will have to complete continuing education units (CEUs) each year. The Board of alcohol and drug abuse requires that you complete 15 hours per year, every year. Nine of the hours must be completed in-person and six can be conducted remotely or via some form of multimedia. The remaining three hours must pertain to ethics.

If you are a member of a professional association, you can likely find opportunities for continuing education through them. Otherwise, you can take courses from a local college or university, and sometimes you can attend lecture series that will provide certificates that will count toward your CEU requirements. To ensure that the time you spend accruing CEUs is valid, schedule courses through one of the following authorized agencies:

Potential Counselor Career Path Options

Associations & Organizations

As a professional substance abuse counselor, you will want to join one or more professional associations. Aligning yourself with such an organization will open up new employment opportunities, provide CEU options, and provide an outlet for fellowship with your colleagues in your town and statewide. Here is a brief list of associations you might consider joining: