Vermont

What does an Addiction Counselor in Vermont do? What is Their Job Role?


In Vermont, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADC) are required to obtain licensure for their level of education and experience. Before receiving their licenses to practice, each counselor has to complete several requirements, such as attaining their master’s degree at minimum.


Overview


Once they have received their licenses, LADCs have to complete several activities apart from their daily work, so they can renew their licenses before they expire. These activities include undergoing a specific number of clinical supervision hours; participating in and completing continuing education hours. Without these two requirements, you won’t be allowed to renew your license as a LADC.


If you are applying for your first license to practice as a counselor, you’re also required to submit documentation of your education along with your license application. Before you receive your license, you’re also required to sit for a mandatory licensing exam—hang onto your textbooks, because you will be reviewing them before your exam.


Vermont Licensing & Certifications for Associates & Independent Counselors


Before you begin work as a LADC in a substance abuse treatment facility, you’ll be required to show proof that you have earned your master’s degree in a field that supports substance abuse treatment. This can include psychology, social work or marriage and family counseling.


The Vermont Certification Board administers the IC&RC exam, which, if you pass it, allows you to be certified in Vermont.


LADCs are also required to undergo 3,000 hours per year of clinical supervision. Your clinical supervisor should observe you providing direct services to your clients for your supervision to be allowed by the state. LADCs who have been grandfathered in must provide documentation of 6,000 clinically supervised direct service hours. For both categories of LADC, the documentation must be signed by your clinical supervisor


Because you are working with clients struggling with abuse and life issues, you’ll also be required to take an ethics course pertinent to substance abuse treatment, HIPAA regulations and CFR 42 (The Federal Drug and Alcohol Confidentiality Law). This applies only to providers who are federally assisted. This pertains to licensing, IRS grant assistance, federal supervision and federal funding. Maintaining the confidentiality of your clients ensures compliance with this law.


Hold an IC&RC certification from either a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction; possess an ADC certification under the same rules or meet every eligibility requirement for the ADC certification, other than the supervised clinical practice rule. You should have completed 2,000 hours of post-degree clinically supervised practice under established standards in Part 5. Pass the IC&RC Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) exam or a similar exam of equal or superior rigor and relevance that is acceptable to the Director.


You may hold a cross-licensure or endorsement from another jurisdiction or field, including an equivalent foreign license in good standing; an acceptably similar foreign license or another professional counseling credential (independent clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, clinical mental health counselor who has been licensed in good standing in Vermont or a foreign jurisdiction acceptable to the Director.


Once you have completed all of these requirements, you should submit the documentation and your license application to the Vermont Department of Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (ADAP). Your paperwork will be reviewed by one of the Department’s Substance Abuse Programs Treatment coordinators to verify that you have satisfied all requirements. If this is verified, you’ll receive approval for your licensure from the Deputy Director’s office.


The next level (Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) requirements include: must be 18 years old or older; proof of completion of 270 hours of substance abuse disorder education; provide proof of completion of these hours with an official transcript sent to the Department; hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited program at an accredited university; proof of 4,000 hours of clinically supervised work experience; satisfactorily pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam (or another exam with greater or equally relevant rigor and relevance acceptable to the director).


Non-Licensed Providers


Vermont has a Substance Abuse and Treatment Block Grant (federal) which allows a few unlicensed individuals to provide substance abuse services that are state-funded. These unlicensed providers are required to be supervised by LADCs. This category is unique to Vermont and aimed at counselors whose education and training levels fall below those required for an ADC. These providers must be 18 or older, have a high school diploma or GED, possess professional fitness, reveal any arrests or convictions in their histories, complete 34 hours of substance abuse counseling, substance abuse, recovery, prevention and co-occurring disorders training. They must also have six hours of ethics practice and theory. This provider must be involved in volunteer or paid volunteer work which is supervised one hour weekly by an ADC (ultimately an LADC). They must show proof of 16 hours of actual employment connected to skills and knowledge related to the core domains of substance abuse counseling.


Education Requirements


The Apprentice Addiction Professional (AAP) can receive certification to practice substance abuse counseling by meeting these requirements: 18 years of age or older; receiving an associate’s (two-year degree from an accredited community college program) degree; within five years before applying for certification, you have completed at least 40 hours of substance use disorder education—your courses should have included screening, assessment and engagement; treatment planning, collaboration with other agencies and referral; addictions counseling and a minimum of six hours of professional ethics theory. This last requirement should include HIPAA and CFR 42 Part 2 experience (respecting the confidentiality of the records of substance abuse disorder clients; employment or approval for employment as an AAP at an ADAP certified provider’s office and, finally; pass the AAP certification exam.


Alcohol and Drug Counselors (ADC) are required to: Take the following required topics in training; substance use disorder counseling and treatment—36 hours; 6 hours of training in co-morbid medical disorders; 6 hours of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and psychopharmaceuticals; 6 hours of professional and ethical responsibilities; remaining 216 training hours can cover multi-cultural diversity, human development, substance use screening, engagement strategies/motivational interviewing (task alliance), understanding of DSM, substance use screening, case management and service coordination, American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria, neurobiology of addiction and dependence on substances, clinical assessment and treatment planning and relapse prevention.


If the ADC’s university courses were completed ten or more years before they applied for licensure, they may be rejected by the Director, especially if the applicant doesn’t have the required familiarity with current addiction science and practice standards.


CACREP Accredited Online Certification


Two types of accreditation are recognized in the United States; institutional and specialized. Institutional accreditation takes the entire institution into account while the specialized focus on professional preparation programs. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is a specialized accreditation that focuses on master’s and doctoral degree programs in counseling at colleges and universities worldwide. Only already-accredited institutions are eligible for CACREP review. The review for accreditation will center on programs offering graduate degrees in counseling.


Choosing a CACREP-accredited program ensures that the program meets the highest of quality standards. Many counseling specialties are accredited by the CACREP, including addiction counseling. Accredited addiction counseling programs prepare individuals to work with those affected by addictive behavior and their families. Addictive behaviors include alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, sex, and anything else that negatively affects your personal or work life by creating addiction behaviors.


CACREP-accredited programs will focus on treatment models and the phases of addiction including prevention, recovery, and relapse prevention. These 60-semester hour programs will include the application of interventions. When students choose a CACREP-accredited program they can be confident that:


  • the program meets or exceeds national standards

  • the program will focus on professional counseling rather than psychology or education

  • the program has an excellent reputation

  • CACREP graduates statistically receive higher scores on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE).

  • the requirements for licensure will be met.


Board of Allied Mental Health Practitioners


The Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health members are appointed by the governor to enforce laws pertaining to mental health professionals. The mission of the Board is to protect the public from unethical practices by counselors. They ensure that applicants are qualified for licensure, along with setting and enforcing regulations for the profession. The Office of Professional Regulation aids the Board by investigating complaints of unethical conduct and implementing any necessary disciplinary action. The Board’s website provides information for professionals and consumers including regulations governing clinical mental health counselors and lists of reputable licensees.


Address

89 Main Street, 3rd Floor

Montpelier, VT 05620-3402


Phone

(802) 828-2390


Website Address

https://www.sec.state.vt.us/professional-regulation/list-of-professions/allied-mental-health.aspx


Licensure:

  • Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC)


The accreditation board does not place restrictions on online or variety discovery. A minimum of half the needed hrs, nonetheless, should have been gotten in the previous 10 years. A counselor that does not have a level in an approved location will need 6,000 hours of task experience to accomplish the ADC accreditation.


AAP prospects must be operating in the location with at least 16 human resources a week. Volunteer work counts if the volunteer is executing at least a few of the core counseling features; the job requires to be suitably handled. A candidate may try the assessment prior to satisfying all needs for credentialing, but will definitely need to retake it if application needs are not satisfied within 2 years.


Prospects should submit applications nonetheless needs have in fact been satisfied for the needed certification. They will absolutely need major documents. The manager will definitely verify that the applicant is essentially as well as also emotionally reliable in executing the responsibilities of an alcohol as well as likewise medication counselor.


The prospect should request that the degree-granting facility send out records straight to the licensing firm. The applicant will absolutely send a list clearly that covers the Board-mandated locations. The licensing company will certainly also require documents of IC&RC certification. The application brings a $75 cost. The Vermont Alcohol in addition to the Drug Qualification Board will definitely provide reciprocity to dependency counselors that hold comparable, reciprocal-level qualifications given by various other IC&RC boards.


There are 3 levels of certification in Vermont for Counselors. There is an initial degree that permits one to start collecting supervised work experience which is called the Apprentice Dependency Specialist (AAP). The crucial level of credentials is referred to as the Alcohol as well as Drug Abuse Therapist (ADC). The last level is the managerial level called the Professional Supervisor (CS) degree.


You must have 40 humans resources of education/training in the 12 core features as kept in mind over. 34 hours ought to be certain to chemical abuse. 6 hrs have to be in specialist fields. You are required to pass the FAUCET 21 test. You can find the application below. You are required to satisfy all needs under AAP along with complying with added demands.


You need to pass the IC&RC/ AODA made up assessment. You can locate the ideal application kind for the ADC title listed below. You need to have all the previous needs as detailed over with the adhering to differences: You must have 10,000 hours of AODA counseling details experience. You have to have 4,000 hrs of AODA manager experience; this might become part of the 10,000 hrs outlined over.


Vermont gives 2 kinds of licensure for specialists in the field: certified alcohol and drug specialist (CADC) and also certified alcohol and likewise medication specialist (LADC). Each credential includes particular demands as well as also causes features with different responsibilities, however the procedures to obtain each type of licensure are comparable. This web page sets out the credentialing treatment for potential customers curious regarding uncovering specifically how to find to be a material abuse counselor in Vermont.


If you are interested in learning how to become an addiction counselor in Vermont then this article is for you. This article will teach you how to become an addiction counselor in Vermont in order to help people overcome their drug problems. In this article we are going to cover some of the basic things you need to have to become an addiction counselor in Vermont.


You are also going to want to make sure that you have completed your course work and have a state license to be able to practice in addiction counseling. Many schools and universities in Vermont require you to complete a minimum amount of education in order to become a licensed counselor in Vermont.


The next thing you need to know about how to become an addiction counselor in Vermont is the experience needed to make you successful. You should also make sure that you have taken and passed all of your courses in preparation for this career. There are many colleges and universities out there that offer many different levels of training so be sure that you research the many different schools out there. You may also want to contact the state office of public safety to find out what the requirements are there.


There are other requirements that a potential Addiction Counselor in Vermont has to meet as well such as certification or licensing. You will need to pass a national exam that will allow you to become an Addiction Counselor in Vermont.


The last thing you should know about becoming an Addiction Counselor in Vermont is that there are plenty of jobs available. In fact if you are looking for a job you can find many of them right in your own home or office.


If you are a school teacher you could become an Addiction Counselor in Vermont, there are also many different churches out there that offer addiction treatment to those that are members of the church. There are many jobs like these that you could find when you start looking online for information on how to become an addiction counselor in Vermont.


You may also be interested in becoming a teacher in Vermont because teaching is one of the most popular careers in teaching. Many schools out there have many different programs that they offer to teachers that they would like to see them teach in the classroom so if you are a good teacher, you may be able to find a teaching job that is similar to one of your interests.


No matter what type of job you choose to pursue to become an addiction counselor in Vermont, there are plenty of options out there. Just make sure that you do your research and make sure that you know everything there is to know about the different jobs out there.


Make sure that you do your homework when researching the different options so that you are prepared for all of them. You should also make sure that you do all of your research on all the different states that they have, because it would be helpful for you to know exactly what the requirements are for each state.


There are also other things that you will need to know if you are going to be going into teaching in one of the different states. If you are going to be teaching in Vermont then you will need to be certified by the state so you will have the proper credentials.


You should also keep all of these facts in mind and know them because you will need to have the education credentials that are required to teach in any state. You will need to have both a teaching certification and a classroom instructor certification as well.


In conclusion, you can be successful if you are willing to get started on your quest to become an addiction counselor in Vermont. You just need to do your research and know what your options are and know what the qualifications are to become an Addiction Counselor in Vermont.


Counselor Testing & Examination Process


In Vermont, testing and licensure is divided between the different categories of substance abuse counselors.


As an ADC, you need to pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam or one of equal or higher rigor and relevance.


If you are an LADC, you need an IC&RC certification from the US or Canada or an ADC certification under Vermont’s licensing rules.


Clinical Supervision Explained


Clinical supervision must be conducted by a supervisor who holds their LADC of at least one year of full-time professional experience, in good standing.


A licensed psychologist, independent clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist or clinical mental health counselor, who is in good standing with the Vermont Board can provide clinical supervision. This supervisor should have completed addiction counseling training after obtaining at least one year of full-time addiction counseling experience.


An osteopathic or allopathic doctor who has been certified in addiction medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Board of Psychology and Neurology, the American Osteopathic Association or another equivalent certification body, which has been approved by the director, can also provide clinical supervision.


Clinical supervision must be of direct clinical counseling services rather than indirect services. This must make up one-half of any supervised work experience. No less than half of the required supervised hours are required to be earned within five years of completing other licensure requirements. Supervised activities should include professional and ethical responsibilities, treatment planning, collaborative work and referral, counseling and screening, assessment and engagement.


Renewal and Continuing Education


As an ADC, you are required to document your continuing education hours, which can be received in in-house training, workshops, on-the-job training or continuing education seminars. Over the life of your licensure, you must obtain one-half of your hours within ten years of receiving your certification., with no more than fifteen hours being provided in in-service training where three hours of your training count as one hour of training.


If you are an LADC, you must renew your license every two years. Undergo and document 40 hours of continuing education for renewal of your license. Your license expires at midnight on the date of expiration, which is printed on your license.


If you obtain your initial license fewer than ninety days before the beginning of the next fixed biennial period, it will be valid for the full two years following your initial licensure.


You must receive and document satisfactory completion of 40 hours of continuing education within the first full two-year licensing period following issuance of your first license. This applies to each subsequent two-year licensing period.


Six of the 40 continuing education hours should come from professional ethics, including HIPAA, NAADAC Code of Ethics and 42 CFR Part 2. Twelve of the 40 hours have to cover substance abuse disorders as the primary or co-occurring disorder.


To figure your continuing education hours, one contact hour is 60 minutes of interactive, participatory learning, which is proven with a certificate of attendance.


Designated-agency in-service training can count for 30 of the 40 required continuing education hours, as long as that training is open to participation by qualified practitioners employed by other agencies.


Potential Counselor Career Path Options


  • Addiction Counselor

  • Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselor

  • Behavioral Health Specialist

  • Certified Addiction Drug and Alcohol Counselor

  • Chemical Dependency Counselor

  • Mental Health Counselor

  • School Counselor

  • Substance Abuse Counselor


Associations & Organizations


Vermont state associations for ADCs and LADCs include the Vermont Addiction Professionals’ Association, which is an affiliate of NAADAC. It provides leadership, advocacy for improvements in the addiction field, and support to substance abuse counselors. Counselors who join and pay annual dues are members of this association.


The Vermont Addiction Professionals Association or VAPA provides education programs and contact information for education providers.