Running head: SUBSTANCE ABUSE CERTIFICATION
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Substance Abuse Certification
Paper Diamond Lee
Liberty University
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Substance Abuse Certification
Substance abuse is something that affects many people from all over the world.
Substance abuse is not something that only affects low income families, it affects people from all
walks of life (Hart & Ksir, 2015). Some people who abuse substances started off using pain
medication for an injury and they eventually found their selves depending on it to make it
through the day. There has also been times where people turn to drugs and alcohol after
traumatic events, because they are just trying to find ways to cope (Simmons & Suarez, 2016).
While there are people suffering from substance abuse every day, there are many people and
resources made available to help. These people are professionals and work for hours to become
the help substance abusers in their time of need.
Introduction
The state of Virginia offers a few different ways to offer support to those who suffer with
substance abuse. A few ways to be able to offer services is to take the steps to become a Certified
Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) or to become Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment
Practitioner (LSATP). They are both great options, but the LSATP path definitely requires a little
more work to achieve.
Eventually I would like to become a LSATP along with my license in professional
counseling. I am sure I will have to start working within an agency, but I would prefer to have
my own private practice. I could see how earning a CSAC would be more conventional for some
people due to the amount of time it would take to complete the standards to become a LSATP.
Education
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There is quite a bit of education required to become a CSAC and LSATP. The
requirements for both are different. The process to become a CSAC is shorter than the process to
become a LSATP. A CSAC is required to earn a bachelor’s degree (Virginia Board of
Counseling, 2017). Earning a bachelor’s degree is a total of 120 credits that must be earned. A
few of the core courses required for CSAC program are Group Dynamic, Substance Abuse I,
Coordinated Internship, College Composition, Basic Counseling Skills I, Counseling
Psychology, Lifespan Human Development II, Orientation, Group Dynamic II, Substance Abuse
II, Case Management & Substance Abuse, Coordinated Internship, Human Relations, and Effects
of Psychoactive Drugs (Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2017). They must also earn
400 clock hours of substance abuse education (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
LSATP hopefuls are required to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree (Virginia Board of
Counseling, 2017). Earning both of those degrees equal 180 credits. The core courses for the
LSATP program are Professional Identity, Functions, and Ethics, Theories of Counseling and
Psychotherapy, Multicultural Counseling, Theories and Techniques, Counseling and
Psychotherapy Techniques, Group Counseling and Psychotherapy, Theories and Techniques,
Appraisal, evaluation and Diagnostic Procedures, Research, Marriage and Family Systems
Theory, Treatment planning, Understanding Addictions, Addictions and Special populations,
Client and Community Education, Supervised Internship, and Abnormal Behavior and
Psychopathology (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
Training
It does not just stop at the education. The people who choose to venture on either journey
must receive some field training. For the CSAC path a person must complete 2,000 hours of
supervised experience (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017). They must complete one to four
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hours per week of supervision with the supervisor and group supervision hours are consider
individual supervision hours (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017). The supervisor must be a
LPC, LCP, LCSW, LMFT, MD, and RN with a national certification in substance abuse
counseling (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
The road for training to become a LSATP requires some more supervised hours. They are
required to complete a practicum and internship as part of their master’s degree program
(Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017). The internship is a minimum of 600 hours and the
practicum is a total of 100 hours (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017). After graduation has
been completed potential applicants must apply so they can start their supervised residency
hours.
They are required to fulfil 4000 residency hours for licensure in the state of Virginia (Virginia
Board of Counseling, 2017). The supervisor must be a licensed professional that possesses
substance abuse training (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
Exam
Both the certification and license require an exam. The exam needed for the certification
is the NCAC-I exam (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017). The exam is given by the National
Certification Commission (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017). The test can be completed all
across the country in major cities and is a fee of $150.00 (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
It takes two to four weeks for the exam scores (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
For the licensure path one must pass the Master Addition Counselor (MAC) exam
(Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).The cost of the exam is $150.00 per exam, but if the
applicant currently holds a LPC license the MAC exam is waived (Virginia Board of Counseling,
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2017). The exam is offered by the National Certification Commission for Addiction
Professionals (Virginia Board of Counseling, 2017).
Work
The certification does create many job opportunities. A CSAC can work as a non-
licensed counselor and in the mental health services (Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling,
2017). They are unable to work as a clinical case manager. While you are limited to where they
can work they still have many options. With the recent opioid epidemic everyone who is
certified in any form or fashion can offer some kind of help.
Being licensed does open more doors. Being licensed you can work as a managed care
specialist, substance abuse counselor, and many more settings. You would be able to work in
hospitals, universities, a private practice, etc. (Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling, 2017).
While you may have more options made available to you as a LSATP a CSAC is just as
important.
With the LSATP path giving me more options it is a great option for me. My ultimate
goal is to work as a LPC and have my own private practice. I think adding the endorsement of
substance abuse is a great opportunity. I believe that you can never have too much knowledge
when it comes to mental health.
Practice Standards
There are some differences between the certification and the licensure. Someone who is
working as a CSAC is able to offer screening, orientation, intake, etc. under the supervision of
someone who is licensed (Code of Virginia, 2006). Someone who is working as a LSATP is
not
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required to work under some who is licensed and is free to have their private practice (Code of
Virginia, 2006). That seems like one of the most important standards to remember.
Conclusion
There are many people who are struggling with substance abuse and they need help. It is
great that there are different options made available to people who have an interest in that area
of mental health. Regardless of if you work to earn a certification or licensure you are provided
with the proper training and education to complete the job. Substance abuse is destroying
families from every walk of life. People are losing their family members either to the justice
system or they are dying. Substance is nothing that is new and has been going on for decades.
Whether you are a CSAC or a LSATP the conversation of change is the place to start (Miller &
Rollnick, 2013). Hopefully enough people want to get involved and help put an end to substance
abuse.
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References
2006 Code of Virginia § 54.1-3507.1 - Scope of practice, supervision, and
qualifications of certified substance abuse counselor... (2006). Retrieved September 11, 2017,
from http://law.justia.com/codes/virginia/2006/toc5401000/54.1-3507.1.html
Hart, C. L., & Ksir, C. (2015). Drugs, society, & human behavior. New York: McGraw-
Hill.
Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling. (2017). Retrieved September 10, 2017,
from http://www.liberty.edu/online/masters/addiction-counseling/
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: helping people change.
New York: Guilford.
PDF. (2017). Virginia Department of Health Professions.
Simmons, S., & Saurez, L. (2016). Substance Abuse and Trauma. Child and Adolescent
Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 25(4), 723-734.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2016.05.006
Virginia Board of Counseling. (2017). Process handbook for csac and csac-as. Retrieved
from
https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Forms/counseling/CSAC/CSAC_Licensure_Process_Handbook.pd
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