New Jersey

Substance Abuse Counseling Certification in New Jersey

New Jersey is a state that has two levels of protected titles for Substance Abuse Counselors. The certification is known as the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) and the licensure level is known as the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). Both require that you meet certain standards for education, training and experience.

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CADC Requirements

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • You will need to show that you have a High School diploma, GED or a college degree. We recommend at least a Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services discipline, preferably in Addiction Counseling as this prepares you for the field and increases your chances of being promoted.
  • You must complete 270 hours of AODA training. You will need to complete six hours of each of the following: Initial interviewing process; Bio-psychosocial assessment; Differential diagnosis; Diagnostic summaries; Compulsive gambling; Psychopharmacology/physiology of addiction;  Introduction to counseling; Introduction to techniques and approaches; Crisis intervention; Individual counseling focused on addiction; Group counseling; Family counseling; Community resources; Consultation; Documentation; HIV positive resources; Addiction recovery; Psychological client education; Biochemical/medical client education; Sociocultural client education; Addiction recovery; psychological family education; Biomedical sociocultural family education; Community and professional education; Ethical standards; Legal aspects; Cultural competency; Professional growth; Personal growth; Dimensions of recovery; Supervision;  Consultation; Community involvement.
  • You must complete a two year supervised internship.
  • This is equivalent to 3000 hours of supervised work experience.
  • Your internship must relate to the 12 core functions:
  • You must have 50 hours of direct face-to-face supervision.
  • You will need to get your experience pre-approved by the board. You can find the application for this here.
  • You will need 300 hours of supervised professional training in the 12 Core Functions, with 10 hours in each: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning;
  • Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
  • You must attend thirty recovery and self-help group meetings including 5 meetings a piece of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Alanon. The remainder can be in a self-help group or groups of your choosing.
  • You must successfully pass the IC&RC Written and Oral Examinations.
  • You can find the CADC application here.

LADC Requirements

  • The LADC must meet all the requirements of the CADC above with the following differences.
  • The LADC must possess a Master’s degree in Counseling, Addictions or a Counseling related discipline with a clinical application such as: Psychology or Social Work.
  • The LADC may substitute some or all of the 270 hours of training described above with coursework if their degree is from an accredited university that meet New Jersey standards.
  • You can find the application for LADC here.