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South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists

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Addiction Counselor Associate

Addiction Counselor Associate applicants must meet education and examination requirements. Associates can only practice under supervision, pursuant to an approved clinical supervision plan.

Application & Forms

Only complete the below documents if you did not graduate from an addiction counseling program accredited by the CACREP at the time of graduation.

Associate Extension

An Addiction Counselor Associate license is a two-year license. If Post-Master's clinical experience has not been completed within that two-year period, you will need to apply for an Associate Extension. The Associate Extension Request application should be submitted before the Associate license expires.

To submit the Associate Extension request application and supporting documentation, log into your e-service account and upload under Document Submission.

Associate Supervision

In order to obtain the Addiction Counselor license, documentation of completion of a minimum of one thousand one hundred twenty (1120) hours of post-master's clinical experience and post master's clinical supervision in the practice of addiction counseling performed over a period of not fewer than two (2) years must be submitted to the Board. Of the one thousand one hundred twenty (1120) hours, there must be a minimum of one thousand (1,000) hours of direct client contact with clients presenting with addiction issues and a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) hours of supervision by a licensed addiction counselor supervisor or other qualified licensed mental health practitioner approved by the Board.

A minimum of sixty (60) hours of the supervision hours must be individual/triadic, and the remaining sixty (60) hours may be individual/triadic or group. At the conclusion of the supervised clinical experience, you must submit the Board form documenting that this supervision has been obtained.

Supervision must be provided by a licensed addiction counselor supervisor (LACS) or other qualified licensed mental health practitioner approved by the Board that included experience assessing and treating clients with the more serious problems as categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature. In addition to a licensed professional counselor supervisor, a qualified licensed mental health practitioner (QLMHP) includes a person licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, and Addiction Counselor Supervisor, a Psychologist or a Medical Doctor.

The LACS or QLMHP must be approved by the Board and shown to have knowledge and expertise necessary to provide addiction counseling supervision, including diagnosis and treatment of more serious problems categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature.

These supervised experience hours are obtained as an Associate. The Plan for Clinical Supervision of Post-Master's Clinical Experience in Counseling Form must be submitted along with the Associate license application, and should be effective once you have passed your exam and your Associate license has been issued. An Addiction Counselor Associate cannot provide professional counseling services until the supervision plan is submitted to the Board and approved and the Associate license is issued.

Education Requirements

CACREP Accredited Program

To meet education requirements for licensure, an applicant can either show evidence of completion from an addiction counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Education Program (CACREP) at the time of graduation;

OR

NON-CACREP Accredited Program

Submit evidence of successful completion of a master's degree, specialist's degree or doctoral degree with a minimum of forty-eight (48) graduate semester hours primarily in counseling or related field from a program accredited by NASAC, CACREP, or one that follows similar educational standards, and from a college or university accredited by the Commission on the Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, one of its transferring regional associations, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, or a regionally-accredited institution of higher learning subsequent to receiving the graduate degree.

The graduate transcript(s) must demonstrate successful completion of 27 of the 48 hours consisting of courses in the following areas:

    (a) Human growth and development course; and/or

    (b) Social and cultural foundations course; and/or

    (c) Counseling Theory Course; and/or

    (d) Family System Theory Course; and/or

    (e) Career Theory; and/or

    (f) Group Dynamics; and/or

    (g) Screening, Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis within behavioral health; and/or

    (h) Research and evaluation; and/or

    (i) Professional orientation: coursework content providing an understanding of professional roles and functions, professional goals and objectives, professional organizations and associations, professional history and trends, ethical and legal standards, professional preparation standards, and professional credentialing; and

    (j) 6 hours of Substance Use Disorder/ Addiction Specific Coursework; and

    (k) Practicum: a minimum of one (1) supervised one hundred (100) hour counseling practicum;

    and

    (l) Internship: completed an internship, as part of a degree program, of at least six hundred (600) hours, of which three hundred (300) hours must be working primarily with the substance use disordered population with a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) hours of direct client contact; however, if the 300/120 specific hours requirement is not met within the 600 hour internship, a post-graduate experience may be served to meet this requirement;

NON-CACREP Required Graduate-Level Coursework Documentation

Complete and submit the LAC Coursework Review Form and the Practicum and Internship Review Form. Detailed instructions for completion are found on the forms. The coursework description must be copied from the catalogue for the year in which the courses were taken or taken from the institution's website. The Internship and Practicum descriptions are required as well. A syllabus will also be accepted.

Examination

All licensure candidates must take and pass either the:

OR

LAC Associate to Licensed Addiction Counselor Application & Forms

Once you have completed the requirements of clinical supervision, click the link below to electronically submit the application, fee and required documentation to become a Licensed Addiction Counselor.





Addiction Counselor Supervisor

Requirements and Application Forms

An applicant for licensure as an addiction counselor supervisor must:

  • hold a current, active, and unrestricted South Carolina Addiction Counselor License; and
  • provide evidence acceptable to the Board of at least three (3) years of continuous practice in addiction counseling immediately preceding the application; and
  • either:
    • a) hold an LPC-S, LMFT-S, or CCS through SCAADAC (note: SCAADAC is now known as APSC), OR
    • b) provide:

      • (i) evidence of a minimum of thirty-six (36) hours of individual/triadic supervision over no less than a two-year period, by a Board licensed Addiction Counselor Supervisor, or other supervisor approved by the Board, of the applicant's supervision of at least two (2) and no more than six (6) licensed addiction counselor associates; and

      (ii) evidence of a minimum of three (3) semester hours of graduate study in supervision oriented to their discipline or training approved by the Board. In addition to graduate study, this requirement can be satisfied by taking 45 hours of a Board approved course or training in supervision. See below for more information on satisfying this requirement.

Supervisor Candidate Requirements & Instructions

Graduate Study in Supervision or Training Approved by Board

Per Regulation 36-12(4) - AC Supervisor

An Addiction Counselor Supervisor candidate who does not hold a current LPC-S, MFT-S, or CCS by SCAADAC (note: SCAADAC is now known as APSC), must provide evidence to the Board of having completed a minimum of three (3) semester hours of graduate study in supervision oriented to their discipline or training approved by the Board, as part of the requirements to obtain an AC Supervisor license.

This requirement can be met by:

  • Taking a graduate level course in supervision as part of your master's degree program; OR
  • Taking a graduate level course or training in supervision.

    • AC-Supervisor applicants should check with the following national associations for available supervision courses or NASAC or CACREP accredited graduate level programs providing training in supervision. [NOTE: A course in supervision must be graduate level education. Courses structured in a continuing education format are NOT acceptable.]

Application & Forms





Addiction Counselor/ Addiction Counselor Supervisor by Endorsement

Requirements and Application Forms

An applicant for licensure as an addiction counselor and/or addiction counselor supervisor by endorsement must:

  1. hold a current, active, and unrestricted license in good standing under the laws of another state, and
  2. not have any current or pending investigations in the state where they are currently licensed; and
  3. submit an application on a form approved by the Board, in which the applicant certifies that they have read and understand the Board's statutes, regulations, and the Code of Ethics specific to the professional license(s) being sought, along with the required fee; and
  4. provide other documentation, as required by the Board.
  5. An applicant is only eligible for endorsement licensure in this state at an equivalent credential level.

A Supervisor seeking endorsement must have and maintain the underlying professional license, Licensed Addiction Counselor, in addition to the Supervisor license. If you do not currently hold an Addiction Counselor license, you should apply for that credential before applying for the Supervisor license.

To apply, click the link below to access the electronic application. Please download the Verification of Lawful Presence Form and complete. This will be needed to complete your application.

Addiction Counselor / Addiction Counselor Supervisor by Endorsement Electronic Application



Reinstatement Applications

Requirements & Application Forms

The reinstatement application below must be used if your license(s) has/have been lapsed for less than five (5) years.

The reinstatement application below must be used if your license(s) has/have been lapsed for more than five (5) years.