Certification FAQs

Question: Does my time in recovery or drug court count toward certification?

Answer: No. Although some Certified Addictions Counselors have recovered from drugs or alcohol, they have had to earn the education and experience as well as the other required items as though they had never suffered from addiction.

Question: Do I have to have a college degree to become a Certified Addictions Counselor?

Answer: In order to be a certified addictions counselor, you have to have at least an Associates Degree in human services.

Question: If I have a college degree will that make it easier to become certified?

Answer: Not necessarily. If your degree is in Business, Engineering, Architecture, Philosophy, etc, then having a degree is not going to help you. On the other hand, if you have a degree in Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Counseling et al, then your degree will help you. Not all courses will count toward certification but some will.

Question: If I am not presently an addictions counselor, how do I get the necessary experience to become a Certified Addictions Counselor.

Answer: The years of experience required to become a Certified Addictions Counselor does not necessarily mean that you have to have worked as an addictions counselor. What the Certification Manual stipulates is that you have to have experience in the human services field. That encompasses many different vocations and is to broad to cover here.  However, if you do have experience as an addictions counselor it does help you when it comes time to take the oral interview during the certification process. In the end, no matter what, in order to become certified, you're going to have to know treatment planning A to Z, levels of care, the core functions and etc. before you'll be able to pass the oral interview.

Question: I am relocating from another state, does SCAADAC offer Reciprocity?

Answer: Yes, please refer to Appendix VI: Certification by AOD Reciprocity in the Application Manual.

Question: I almost completed certification before my "in-process" expired. What do I need to do now?

Answer: You have to submit a new application form--including the signed affirmation to the code of ethics (i.e. "Release and Assurance"), a current job description, an evaluation from a Supervisor, an evaluation from a co-worker and the application fee.

Question: Is training from other sources outside South Carolina acceptable?

Answer: Yes, but the number of contact hours must be on the certificate and the training must be within the core functions or within approval of the LMSW, LMFT, LPC, NAADAC or other suitable licensure agency.

Question: The supervisor who gave me my clinical supervision has left the agency in which I work under unpleasant circumstances and refuses to sign off on my clinical supervision. How can I get the appropriate signature for my clinical supervision?

Answer: That supervisor is still responsible for the clinical supervision hours you received under that supervisor. Consequently, you can bring that supervisor up on an ethics violation if that supervisor is still practicing in the state of South Carolina. If the supervisor left the state, you will need to contact your current supervisor and appraise that supervisor of your circumstances. SCAADAC will also need to be informed. The Certification Commission may, at its discretion, grant an extension or other alternative remedy. All decisions of the Certification Commission are final.