Substance Abuse Counseling Certification in West Virginia

There are three levels of certification in West Virginia for those who wish to practice as Substance Abuse Counselors. The first level is known as the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC). The second tier is known as the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC). The highest level is for those who wish to become supervisors in counseling and is known as the Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS).

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ADC Requirements

You must pass a criminal background check.
You are required to have at least a High School Diploma or GED. A Master’s degree is recommended as you will need one to become an AADC (see below). A college degree can also be substituted for the work experience portion.
You are required to have six years of qualifying experience.
If you have a Bachelor’s degree in a Behavioral Science field with a clinical application that includes a minimum of 20 semester hours of AODA studies you can reduce this to 4 years of experience.
You are required to have 270 contact hours of education with 70 specific to chemical dependence. You must have six hours in ethics.
You are required to log 300 hours of supervised work experience in the 12 core functions with a minimum of 10 hours of each in the following: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning; Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
You must agree to adhere to the Code of Ethics.
You can find the application form for this title here.

AADC Requirements

You have to meet all of the requirements for the ADC title above and also have the following:
You must have a minimum of a Master’s Degree in a behavioral science that has a clinical application. Your degree must come from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
Pass a criminal background check.
You must have 180 hours of ADC specific education.
You must have 3 years of supervised clinical work experience in an ADC facility.
You can accumulate up to 2 years during your college studies.
A minimum of one year of experience must occur after you have earned your Master’s degree.
You must have 2000 hours of supervised ADC experience.
You are required to log 300 hours of supervised work experience in the 12 core functions with a minimum of 10 hours of each in the following: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning; Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
You will need to pass the IC& RC International ADC Written examination.
You must sign a document swearing to abide by the counselor specific code of ethics as provided by the NAADAC.
You must agree to adhere to the Code of Ethics.
You can find the application form for this title here.

CCS Requirements

You must hold a current ADC or AADC credential.
You must have five years (10,000 hours) of counseling experience as an AODA counselor.
You must have 2 years or 4,000 hours of clinical supervisory experience in an AODA facility this can count as part of the 10,000 hours required above.
You need 30 hours of didactic training in clinical supervision within the following four domains: This must include education/training in each of the following four domains: Assessment/Evaluation; Counselor Development; Management/Administration; and Professional Responsibilities.
You are required to have at least six hours of direct supervision in each of the four above domains.
You must agree to adhere to the Code of Ethics.
You must pass the IC&RC CCS written examination.
You can find the application form here.