Substance Abuse Counseling Certification in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has two tiers of certification for those who work in the Substance Abuse Counseling field. The first level is known as the Substance Abuse Counselor in Training (SACT) and the full-fledged certification level is known as the Substance Abuse Counselor (SAC). Each level has its own requirements in terms of education, examinations and testing required.
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SACT Requirements
- You must have a minimum of a High School diploma or GED.
- You are required to have at least 100 hours of specialized education in the performance domains of: assessment (15 hours), counseling (15 hours), case management (10 hours), education (15 hours) and professional responsibility (20 hours) and disabilities. You should also have 25 hours in electives.
- You have to have a written offer of employment or current employment with an AODA counseling facility.
- Pass the required state online examination.
- You can find the application form here.
SAC Requirements
- You must have a minimum of a High School diploma or GED. However, a college degree is recommended due to ability to convert into supervised work experience and preference for promotion.
- You are required to have at least 360 hours of specialized education in the performance domains of: assessment (60 hours), counseling (60 hours), case management (60 hours), education (60 hours) and professional responsibility (60 hours) and disabilities. You should also have 60 hours in electives.
- You must pass the ICRC Counseling examination.
- You must pass the online Wisconsin state examination.
- You must accumulate 4,000 hours of supervised counseling experience.
- 2,000 hours must be within the 8 practice dimensions: clinical evaluation, treatment planning, referral, service coordination, counseling, patient family and community education, documentation, professional and ethical responsibilities.
- You will need 1,000 hours in substance use disorder counseling with at least 500 hours in one-on-one individual counseling.
- You can substitute an Associate’s degree for 500 hours of supervised experience.
- You can substitute a Bachelor’s degree for 1000 hours of supervised experience.
- You can substitute an Associate’s degree for 2000 hours of supervised experience.
- You can find the application form here.