Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-30-01-.04 - QUALIFICATIONS FOR LICENSURE

(1) Licensure by examination.

(a) Prior to submitting an application to become a Level I Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, each of the following minimum qualifications must be met:

1. The applicant must have attained twenty-one (21) years of age.

2. The applicant must be highly regarded as possessing good moral character and professional ethics, as specified in Rule 1200-30-01-.13.

3. The applicant must have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma.

4. The applicant must have completed six thousand (6000) hours of experience where the applicant has performed all of the eight (8) domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606, while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board.

5. The applicant must have completed two hundred seventy (270) total hours of alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606. Six (6) hours of the 270 total hours of education shall pertain to alcohol and drug abuse counseling professional ethics.

6. The applicant must have completed a written philosophy of treatment, as defined in the licensure application.

7. The applicant must pass a jurisprudence examination approved by the Board.

8. The applicant must pass the National Certified Addiction Counselor (NCAC) Level I written examination that is administered by the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCCAP) or the Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) written examination.

(b) Prior to submitting an application to become a Level II Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, each of the following minimum qualifications must be met:

1. The applicant must have attained twenty-one (21) years of age.

2. The applicant must be highly regarded as possessing good moral character and professional ethics, as specified in Rule 1200-30-01-.13.

3. The applicant must:

(i) Have a bachelor's degree in a behavioral health related field or higher level degree in a non-behavioral health related field from an accredited institution of higher learning, and submit an official transcript, have completed two (2) years of full time or four thousand (4000) hours of experience while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board and have alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606; OR

(ii) Have a master's or higher level degree in a behavioral health related field from an accredited institution of higher learning, and submit an official transcript, and have completed one (1) year of full time experience or two thousand (2000) hours of experience while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board and have alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606.

4. The applicant must have completed a written philosophy of treatment, as defined in the licensure application.

5. The applicant must pass a jurisprudence examination approved by the Board.

6. The applicant must pass the National Certified Addiction Counselor (NCAC) Level II written examination that is administered by the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCCAP) or the Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) written examination.

7. Each person currently licensed in good standing as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor before January 1, 2016 shall thereafter be licensed as a Level II Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. The Board will not impose any additional fee or require any additional application for the issuance of a license pursuant to this section.

(c) Education. The education requirement must be completed prior to the date of application.

1. The Level I applicant must:

(i) Have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma, a certified or notarized copy of which is to be included in the application.

(ii) Have completed two hundred seventy (270) total hours of alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight (8) domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606 while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor. Six (6) hours of the 270 total hours of education shall pertain to alcohol and drug abuse counseling professional ethics. There is no time limit in which this education must have been obtained.

2. The Level II applicant must:

(i) Have a bachelor's degree in a behavioral health related field or higher level degree in a non-behavioral health related field from an accredited institution of higher learning, and submit an official transcript, have completed two (2) years of full time or four thousand (4000) hours of experience while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board and have completed (270) total hours of alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606. There is no time limit in which the two hundred seventy (270) total hours of alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight (8) domains must have been obtained; OR

(ii) Have a master's or higher level degree in a behavioral health related field from an accredited institution of higher learning, and submit an official transcript, and have completed one (1) year of full time experience or two thousand (2000) hours of experience while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board and have completed (270) total hours of alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606. There is no time limit in which the two hundred seventy (270) total hours of alcohol and drug abuse counseling education and training within the eight (8) domains must have been obtained.

3. Applicants must furnish documentation of six (6) contact hours of education in ethics. This six (6) hour requirement may be part of the two hundred and seventy (270) contact hours of education required for licensure.

4. Applicants seeking to evaluate and treat persons who have been significantly affected by compulsive gambling disorder under Rule 1200-30-01-.02(2) shall have no less than sixty (60) additional hours of specialized education relating to compulsive gambling disorder. Such education shall be in the form of formal classroom hours, annual continuing education hours, or a combination of such hours.

(d) Experience.

1. The Level I applicant must have completed six thousand (6000) hours of experience during which the applicant has performed all of the eight (8) domains, as listed in TCA § 68-24-606, over a time period of a minimum of three (3) years, which may be paid or "volunteer" (unpaid), or a combination thereof, while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board.

2. The Level II applicant must:

(i) Have a bachelor's degree in a behavioral health related field or higher level degree in a non-behavioral health related field from an accredited institution of higher learning, and have completed two (2) years of full time or four thousand (4000) hours of experience while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board; OR

(ii) Have a master's or higher level degree in a behavioral health related field from an accredited institution of higher learning, and have completed one (1) year of full time experience or two thousand (2000) hours of experience while providing alcohol and drug abuse counseling services under the direct supervision of a Qualified Clinical Supervisor who meets the requirements of the rules of the Board.

3. In order for "volunteer" (unpaid), clinically supervised counseling experience to be given credit, the "volunteer" experience must have been accrued in a facility or agency where the institution or agency head authorized the volunteer program, specifically appointed/designated in writing the person as a participant in that volunteer program, and where the services and duties were performed and supervised pursuant to written guidelines, i.e., a "job description".

4. Applicants seeking to evaluate and treat persons who have been significantly affected by compulsive gambling disorder under Rule 1200-30-01-.02(2) shall provide evidence that a portion of the clinically supervised counseling experience included contact with no less than ten (10) patients impacted by a compulsive gambling disorder.

(e) An applicant shall successfully complete the examinations as required in Rule 1200-30-01-.08. The applicant shall also provide to the Board an authorization for release of examination scores along with his/her application.

(2) Individuals seeking licensure by reciprocity as a Level I or Level II Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor must meet the following qualifications:

(a) The applicant must have attained twenty-one (21) years of age.

(b) The applicant must be highly regarded as possessing good moral character and professional ethics, as specified in rule 1200-30-01-.13.

(c) The applicant must hold a current license or equivalent from another state. The other state's standards for licensure must be comparable to or exceed the requirements for the level of licensure sought in Tennessee.

(d) An applicant shall successfully complete the jurisprudence examination as required in Rule 1200-30-01-.08.

Notes

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-30-01-.04

Original rule filed May 25, 1994; effective August 9, 1994. Repeal and new rule filed January 30, 1997; effective May 30, 1997. Repeal and new rule filed December 28, 1999; effective March 12, 2000. Amendment filed June 15, 2004; effective August 29, 2004. Amendments filed August 5, 2011; effective November 3, 2011. Amendments filed March 27, 2015; effective June 25, 2015. Amendments filed February 6, 2017; effective 5/7/2017.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 68-24-602, 68-24-603, 68-24-605, 68-24-606, and 68-24-608.