Section 17-8702. EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

 

8702.1  An applicant shall present proof to the Board that he or she has graduated with     at least an Associate’s degree in a health or human services field,       including but not limited to registered nursing, aging studies, criminal      justice, health education, or mental health, from an accredited institution      whose program is accredited by an entity recognized by the U.S.       Department of Education.  The degree shall include  the following       coursework:

 (a)Understanding the dynamics of human behavior and

 family systems – three (3) hours;

 

(b) Signs and symptoms of substance abuse – three (3) hours;

 

 (c) Recovery process, stages of change, relapse prevention, treatment

 approaches, group dynamics and other adjunctive treatment  recovery support groups, motivational interviewing, and models and  theories of addiction – three (3) hours;

 

 (d) Ethics, rules and regulations – three (3) hours;

 

 (e) Professional identity in the provision of substance abuse services –     three (3) hours; 

 

(f) Crisis intervention – three (3) hours;

 

(g) Cultural factors and competencies in addiction – three (3) hours;

 

    (h) Co-occurring disorders in interdisciplinary treatment – three (3)     hours;

 

(i) Diagnostic and screening criteria in addictions – three (3) hours;   and

 

(j)Psychopharmacology resources in the treatment of addictions – three (3) hours.

 

8702.2In lieu of the requirements for § 8702.1, an applicant for certification by waiver as  an addiction counselor I, shall have two (2) years of supervised experience

obtained while registered as an addiction counselor with such registration

having been obtained on or after July 8, 2007, and shall have passed a  national examination deemed acceptable by the Board.

 

8702.3Any coursework listed in § 8702.1 that has not been taken in a degreed program shall be taken in a program approved by the National Association of Alcohol and     Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) or shall be taken at a college or university     accredited by an entity recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

8702.4             As part of the certification process for an addiction counselor II, an applicant shall present proof to the Board that he or she has graduated with at least a Bachelor’s degree in a health or human services field, including but not limited to registered nursing, aging studies, criminal justice, health education, or mental health, from an accredited institution whose program is accredited by an entity recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  The degree shall include the following coursework:   

 

  (a)  Understanding the dynamics of human behavior and family

   systems – three (3) hours;

 (b) Signs and symptoms of substance abuse – three (3) hours;

 

 (c)  Recovery process, stages of change, relapse prevention, treatment     approaches, group dynamics and other adjunctive treatment

   recovery support groups, motivational interviewing, and models       and theories of addiction – nine (9) hours; 

 

(d) Ethics, rules and regulations – three (3) hours;

 

(e)  Professional identity in the provision of substance abuse services

 – three (3) hours;

 

(f) Crisis intervention – three (3) hours;

 

(g) Substance abuse counseling treatment planning and research – three (3)  hours;

 

(h) Counseling skills for individual and group, motivational interviewing -  three (3) hours;

 

(i) Cultural factors and competencies in addiction – three (3) hours;

 

(j) Co-occurring disorders in interdisciplinary treatment – three (3) hours;

 

(k) Diagnostic and screening criteria in addictions – three (3) hours; and

 

(l) Psychopharmacology resources in the treatment of addictions – three (3)  hours.

 

8702.5  Any coursework listed in § 8702.3 that has not been taken in a degreed

  program shall be taken in a program approved by the NAADAC or shall

  be taken at a college or university accredited by an entity recognized by

  the U.S. Department of Education.

 

authority

The Director of the Department of Health, pursuant to the authority set forth under section 302(14) of the District of Columbia Health Occupations Revision Act of 1985, effective March 15, 1986 (D.C. Law 6-99; D.C. Official Code § 3-1203.02(14)), and in accordance with Mayor’s Order 98-140, dated August 20, 1998.

source

Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 57 DCR 11937, 11938 (December 17, 2010).