Ohio

Substance Abuse Counseling Certification in Ohio

Ohio has a number of levels of licensure in the state. The three primary levels of licensure are known as the Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II (LCDC II), the Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor III (LCDC III) and the Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC). All require a number of educational, training and work experience benchmarks be met.

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LCDC II Requirements

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • Sign the Chemical Dependency Code of Ethics.
  • You are required to have a minimum of an Associate’s degree in a behavioral science or nursing. You also can simply have a Bachelor’s degree in any field.
  • You must accumulate 2,000 hours of AODA counseling related professional work or supervised internship experience.
  • You will need to accrue180 hours of chemical dependency education in nine specific content areas: Theories of addiction (24 hours); Counseling procedures & strategies with addicted populations (30 hours); Group process & techniques working with addicted populations (18 hours); Assessment & diagnosis of addiction (24 hours); Relationship counseling with addicted populations (24 hours); Pharmacology (18 hours); Prevention strategies (12 hours); Treatment planning (18 hours); Legal & ethical issues pertaining to chemical dependency (12 hours)
  • You must have gained 220 practical experience hours in the twelve core functions: Screening 10 hours; Intake 10 hours; Orientation 10 hours; Assessment 10 hours; Treatment Planning 25 hours; Counseling: Individual 30 hours, Group 30 hours, Family 20 hours; Case Management 15 hours; Crisis Intervention 10 hours; Client Education 10 hours;
  • Referral 10 hours; Consultation 10 hours; Reports & Recordkeeping 20 hours
  • You must pass the ADC examination.
  • The application process for the LCDC II can be found here.

LCDC III Requirements

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • Sign the Chemical Dependency Code of Ethics.
  • You are required to have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a behavioral science or nursing.
  • You must accumulate 2,000 hours of AODA counseling related professional work or supervised internship experience.
  • You will need to accrue180 hours of chemical dependency education in nine specific content areas: Theories of addiction (24 hours); Counseling procedures & strategies with addicted populations (30 hours); Group process & techniques working with addicted populations (18 hours); Assessment & diagnosis of addiction (24 hours); Relationship counseling with addicted populations (24 hours); Pharmacology (18 hours); Prevention strategies (12 hours); Treatment planning (18 hours); Legal & ethical issues pertaining to chemical dependency (12 hours)
  • You must have gained 220 practical experience hours in the twelve core functions: Screening 10 hours; Intake 10 hours; Orientation 10 hours; Assessment 10 hours; Treatment Planning 25 hours; Counseling: Individual 30 hours,
  • Group 30 hours, Family 20 hours; Case Management 15 hours; Crisis Intervention 10 hours; Client Education 10 hours; Referral 10 hours; Consultation 10 hours; Reports & Recordkeeping 20 hours
  • You must pass the ADC examination.
  • The LCDC III application can be found here.

LICDC Requirements

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • Sign the Chemical Dependency Code of Ethics.
  • A minimum of a Master’s degree in a behavioral science with documentation of coursework in ten specific content areas: Theories of Counseling & Psychotherapy 80 clock hours; Counseling Procedures 40 clock hours Required; Group Process & Techniques 40 clock hours Required; Relationship Therapy 40 clock hours required; Research Methods/Statistics 40 clock hours required; Fundamentals of Assessment & Diagnosis, including Measurement & Appraisal 80 clock hours Required; Psychopathology 40 clock hours required; Human Development 40 clock hours required; Cultural Competence in Counseling 40 clock hours Required; Ethics 30 clock hours required.
  • During your Master’s degree you must complete a practicum or internship with 400 contact hours.
  • You must accumulate 2,000 hours of AODA counseling related professional work or supervised internship experience.
  • You will need to accrue180 hours of chemical dependency education in nine specific content areas: Theories of addiction (24 hours); Counseling procedures & strategies with addicted populations (30 hours); Group process & techniques working with addicted populations (18 hours); Assessment & diagnosis of addiction (24 hours); Relationship counseling with addicted populations (24 hours); Pharmacology (18 hours); Prevention strategies (12 hours); Treatment planning (18 hours); Legal & ethical issues pertaining to chemical dependency (12 hours)
  • You must have gained 220 practical experience hours in the twelve core functions: Screening 10 hours; Intake 10 hours; Orientation 10 hours; Assessment 10 hours; Treatment Planning 25 hours; Counseling: Individual 30 hours, Group 30 hours, Family 20 hours; Case Management 15 hours; Crisis Intervention 10 hours; Client Education 10 hours; Referral 10 hours; Consultation 10 hours; Reports & Recordkeeping 20 hours
  • You must pass the ADC examination.
  • The LICDC application process can be found here.