|
A voluntary national certification intended for professionals working within addiction-related disciplines wishing to demonstrate their specialized addiction treatment skills gained through supervised work experience and specific undergraduate course work.
Download the NCAC II Certification Application and Instructions
Why should you obtain the NCAC II Certification?
- Position yourself for career advancement and increased salary potential.
- Distinguish yourself from practitioners who lack specialized addiction treatment training.
- Enable yourself to provide more in-depth and intensive care; expose yourself to new and challenging treatment experiences.
- Demonstrate your commitment to developing an excellence in addiction treatment practice.
- The demand for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors is expected to grow by 35 percent within 10 years.
Eligibility Requirements
- A bachelor’s level college degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
- Current state certification/licensure as an alcohol and/or drug abuse counselor.
- Five years full-time or 10,000 hours of supervised experience as an alcohol and/or drug abuse counselor.
- 450 contact hours of education and training in alcoholism and drug abuse or related counseling subjects, including six hours of ethics training and six hours of HIV/AIDS training.
- Passing score on the NCAC II written examination within four years of application.
Application Requirements
- Copy of a bachelor’s degree transcript from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
- Documentation of current state certi!cation/licensure as an alcohol and/or drug abuse counselor.
- Five years full-time or 10,000 hours of supervised experience as an alcohol and/or drug abuse counselor.
- Written verification of competency in all skill groups veri!ed by a supervisor or other health care professionals who have personally observed the candidate’s alcohol and/or drug abuse counseling work.
- Documentation of 450 contact hours of education and training in alcohol and drug abuse or related counseling subjects, including six contact hours of ethics training and six contact hours of HIV/AIDS training in the last five years.
- Submission of a signed statement that the candidate has read the NAADAC Code of Ethics and subscribes to it.
- Received a passing score on the NCAC Level I written examination within 4 years of this application.
- A copy of your examination grade sheet.
- Payment of non-refundable application/certification review fee.
Certification Costs
Examination Details
The written national credentialing examination is tailored to test the applicant on his or her projected knowledge based on experience, education and training. The following skill groups are evaluated in the examination, and an applicant fornational certification should be well versed in each of these topic areas:
- treatment admission (screening, intake and orientation)
- clinical assessment
- ongoing treatment planning
- counseling services (individual, group, family, crisis intervention and client education)
- documentation
- case management
- discharge and continuing care
- legal, ethical and professional growth issues
The National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level II (NCAC II) written examination consists of 250 multiple-choice, objective questions, which test candidates’ knowledge in the areas of counseling practice (25%), pharmacology of psychoactive substances (25%), the theoretical base of counseling (25%) and professional issues related to alcoholism and drug abuse treatment (25%).
If you have previously taken a certification exam at the state level, you may be able to use these score towards national level certification. See Use of the NAADAC Test at the State Level for more information.
Testing Schedule
Examinations are given nationwide (and abroad) multiple times per year. Application deadlines are sixty (60) days prior to the test date.
View the Full Testing Schedule
Locate a Testing Center in Your Area
 Test Preparation Materials
|
Certification
