have 200 hours (one year) of addiction-specific
experience as an RN and pass an examination.^92
Mental Health Professionals ......................................................................................
As is true of medical professionals, the licensing
of mental health professionals is regulated by the
states, which defer to national accreditation
organizations and professional boards.
Psychologists. Licensed clinical and counseling
psychologists must obtain a doctorate degree
from a PhD or PsyD program at an accredited or
government-chartered institution acceptable to
the American Psychological Association (APA)
licensing board.^93 They also must pass a
national licensing examination, the Examination
for Professional Practice in Psychology,
administered by the Association of State and
Provincial Psychology Boards.^94 Vermont and
West Virginia offer a psychologist license at the
master’s level.*
In the course of their practice--whether in the
mental health care system, the general health
care system, the correctional system, schools
and universities or specialty addiction treatment
programs--clinical and counseling psychologists
encounter many patients who engage in risky
substance use or have addiction. Psychologists
often hold administrative and supervisory
positions in specialty addiction treatment
programs and other health and social welfare
systems with large numbers of substance-
involved individuals.^95 Yet CASA Columbia’s
review found that in most states, addiction is not
a required element of psychologists’ training.†
In the national licensing exam for
psychologists,‡ addiction-related content may
appear as part of the required knowledge base in
- A number of states also license temporary or
renewable psychological associate licenses for
master’s level supervised practitioners.
† CA requires all licensed psychologists to have some
level of addiction-related education; applicants must
complete at least a semester course in addiction
detection and treatment.
‡ The Examination for Professional Practice in
Psychology, administered by the Association of State
and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB).
several content areas, including “biological
bases of behavior” and “assessment and
diagnosis.Ӥ 96The APA had offered an optional certificate
related to substance use and addiction which,
although recognized by some state agencies,**
was not required for a psychologist to treat
patients with addiction; the only requirement for
this certification was experience in treating
addiction as a licensed psychologist for at least
one year.^97 As of January 1, 2011, the APA
Practice Organization (APAPO) discontinued
accepting new applications for the Certificate of
Proficiency in the Treatment of Alcohol and
Other Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders but
continues to support the credential for
previously-certified psychologists who maintain
their certification by engaging in appropriate
continuing education. The decision to
discontinue the certification program for new
applicants was based in part on insufficient
interest in obtaining the credential by licensed
psychologists.^98Mental Health Counselors/Therapists. All
states license mental health counselors^99 and,
with the exception of the “professional
counselor” license in Illinois,†† all states require
at least a master’s degree in counseling or a
related field.The National Board for Certified Counselors
(NBCC) offers certification to become a
National Certified Counselor (NCC); in
addition, three optional national specialty
certifications are offered on the graduate level to
become a school counselor, clinical mental§ Although these content areas constitute 40 percent
of the test, the exact proportion of substance
use/addiction content is not specified.
** There are a number of different ways that state
agencies have recognized the certificate. Most states
use it as one way for psychologists to be listed as
registered addiction treatment providers or as one
way to qualify them as clinical supervisors. The
significance of these categories depends on the state’s
regulations.
†† IL requires only a bachelor’s degree. IL also has a
“clinical professional counselor” license which
requires a master’s degree.