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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 graduate course work.
The MAC is maintained in conjunction with the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).
Download the MAC Certification Application and Instructions
Why should you obtain the MAC Certification?
- Position yourself for career advancement and increased salary potential.
- Enhance your opportunities for independent practice.
- Demonstrate your commitment to excellence in addictions treatment with the only master’s level certification available to addiction counselors.
- The demand for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors is expected to grow by 35 percent within 10 years.
Eligibility Requirements
- A master’s degree in the healing arts or related field with in-depth subjects applicable to the alcohol and drug abuse treatment arena, by a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
- Current state certification/licensure in alcohol and/or drug abuse counsel- ing or a related healing art.
- 500 contact hours of specific alcohol and drug abuse counseling training, including six hours of ethics training and six hours of HIV/AIDS training.
- Three years full-time or 6,000 hours of supervised experience, two years or 4,000 hours of which is post master’s degree.
- Passing score on the MAC written examination within four years of application.
Application Requirements
- Official transcript of a master’s degree transcript from a regionally accred- ited institution of higher learning.
- Documentation of current state certification/licensure as an alcohol and/ or drug abuse counselor.
- Three years full-time or 6,000 hours of supervised experience, two years or 4,000 hours of which is post master’s degree.
- Written verification of competency in all skill groups verified by a supervisor or other health care professionals who have personally observed the candidate’s alcohol and/or drug abuse counseling work.
- Documentation of 500 contact hours of specific alcohol and drug abuse counseling training, 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 MAC 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 Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) written examination consists of 200 multiple-choice, objective questions, which test candidates’ knowledge in the areas of pharmacology of psychoactive substances (35%), professional issues related to alcoholism and drug abuse treatment (35%) and counseling practice (30%).
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
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