DCA Notice:
Click here for an important notice from the Division of Consumer Affairs, Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners.

The Board is partially funded by the Department of Human Services, Division of Addiction Services. More information on the Board may be found on the Board News section of this site.

Questions have been raised concerning Patient Confidentiality and we have important links to help with these concerns.

The Addiction Professionals Certification Division is a member of the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) that offers the ICADC, which is obtained after you have completed your New Jersey LCADC/CADC through the Division of Consumer Affairs. The ICADC (downloadable PDF application with instructions) is not recognized in New Jersey, but is your recognition of reciprocity with the IC&RC’s 70 member boards

• The Certified Co-occurring Disorder Specialist (IC&RC Advanced Credential formerly CMS)
• The Certified Prevention Specialist
• The Certified Clinical Supervisor

The responsibility of The Certification Board regarding the IC&RC can be found in this document, NJ and Reciprocity.

All complaints, comments and questions regarding the LCADC/CADC should go to the DCA, not the Certification Board. You must be an LCADC to advertise yourself as such. Refer to the licensure law for specifics. The DCA’s Deputy Attorney General, Susan Berger, will handle ethical and legal violations. For further information about the Division of Consumer Affairs, including their applications, please click here.

The Certification Board has a contract with the DCA to:

• Administer the Oral and Written Exams after the DCA approves the applicant’s application.
• Approve LCADC and CADC credit
• Approve Instructors for coursework

The LCADC requires 18 graduate credits in counseling related coursework, contained in human services related masters or doctorate degree, as well as the 270 hours of addiction courses. Pharmacology, a new addition, is now required.

All, or some, of the addiction related coursework might be contained in the graduate degree. The Certification Board will review your coursework and provide a transcript that will be accepted by the DCA.

This law known as the "Alcohol and Drug Counselor Licensing and Certification Act" was approved by the legislature on January 9, 1998.

The law required that a Committee be formed to develop and oversee implementation of regulations governing the certification of licensure of individuals who wish to practice as Drug and Alcohol counselors in New Jersey, either as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor ("CADC") or as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor ("LCADC"), respectively. This Committee has been established within the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, which is within the jurisdiction of the Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Law and Public Safety.

The Committee is comprised of five members, four from the addiction field and one public member. It is supported in its work by an Executive Director, Deputy Attorney General, and an analyst from the regulatory section of the Division of Consumer Affairs. The five Committee members are the voting body. Current membership consists of Sylvia Lippe (Chairperson), Fred Riehl (Vice-Chair), Donald Weinbaum (from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services), Fr. Edward Reading (Liaison to the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners), and Barbara Dennis, Esq. (public member).

The Committee, which was formed in November 1998, has been meeting monthly since January 1999. The Committee is required to interpret the law and the intent of the law. They have focused virtually all their energy on drafting the required regulations and planning for implementation of the law. Interpreting this law into a workable document is a time consuming process; the Committee is responsible both for the safety of the consumer and for the professionalism of the industry. Once regulations have been drafted by the Committee and undergo departmental review, they will be published in the NJ Register for public comment before the final adoption.

The Committee has reviewed similar professional licensing regulations already in effect in New Jersey and other states and, when possible, has incorporated parts of them into the proposed drug and alcohol licensing/certification regulations in the hope of speeding up the process. The Committee was originally expected to take one year to complete these regulations. This timeframe proved to be inadequate, due to the specialized nature of the drug and alcohol counseling field. The Committee also needed to take into account the new facilities regulations adopted by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. The Committee currently anticipates publication of its regulations late in 2001.

Along with a workable document, the Committee has had to wrestle with transitional issues such as the interim and future relationship of the Committee to the current non-governmental certification board, as well as requirements applicable to the members of the addiction field who were certified prior to the enactment of this bill, those counselors who received certification between the enactment of this bill and the completion of the regulations, and members of the professional community who are now in the process of acquiring certification.

The legislation distinguishes between Licensure as an LCADC (Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor) and Certification as a CADC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor). Certification requirements incorporated in the law are similar to the existing voluntary certification process. The LCADC is the higher of the two credentials, and only LCADC's will be allowed to conduct private practices.

Grand-parenting Clause for Licensure: this covers counselors who held certification by the private Addiction Professionals Certification Board of New Jersey, Inc., as an alcohol and drug counselor on January 9, 1998. They will be required to complete and application, demonstrate certain qualifications and provide proof of current certification by the private certification board along with the fee determined by the Division of Consumer Affairs.

The next group will be those who received their certification between January 9, 1998 and the effective date of the regulation; they will be required to submit an application with proof of CADC, Masters degree in counseling or related field and demonstrate additional qualifications and experience in order to obtain licensure.

Counselors who do not meet the above requirements may become licensed as a LCADC by completing all requirements for certification, including passing an examination and providing the Committee with documentation of an Masters degree in counseling or related field. Counselors in the field without a Masters degree will continue to be eligible for certification as a CADC.
Many aspects of the certification process are expected to remain the same. The Committee is exploring a contract with the present certification board which would allow their continuing to handle the approval of subjects and locations for education courses, scheduling of the written exam, and monitoring of the oral presentation. This is still subject to a finalized contract. All applications must go through the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners. Each application will be reviewed by the Committee to ensure that all requirements are met before being presented to the Board for final approval. The Committee will be responsible for granting of licenses or certificates, the appeals process, addressing any and all issues pertaining to licensure or certification status, and handling complaints regarding practice by alcohol and drug counselors. The Division of Consumer Affairs will set the costs for licensure and certification.

Please note that he Committee generally meets the Fourth Friday of every month at the Division of Consumer Affairs building at 124 Halsey Street, Newark. This meeting is open to the public. We would welcome public participation and comments. For addition information on attendance, you may call Dennis Gonzalez, Executive Director, at 973-504-6582.

Prepared by:
Sylvia Lippe and Donald Weinbaum

On behalf of:
Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee
Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners
 
Please write me at rich@certbd.com with questions or comments.