Code of Colorado Regulations
700 - Department of Regulatory Agencies
744 - Division of Professions and Occupations - Board of Addiction Counselor Examiners
4 CCR 744-1 - BOARD OF ADDICTION COUNSELOR EXAMINERS RULES
Section 4 CCR 744-1.15 - LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION (C.R.S. section 12-245-804)

Universal Citation: 4 CO Code Regs 744-1 ยง 15

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 17, September 10, 2024

A. Criteria for application.

1. The applicant must submit to the Board a completed application for licensure, all fees, and all supporting documentation required by the Board in order for the Board to review the application.

2. Applications for licensure remain active for one (1) year. If the applicant fails to become licensed within this time period, s/he must submit a new application and fee and must meet the educational, experience, and examination requirements in effect at the time of the date of the new application. The Board, in its sole discretion, may extend an application upon written request accompanied by a showing of good cause.

3. An applicant for licensure must pass the required examination no more than five (5) years prior to the date of the application. Experience and supervision requirements that were completed by more than five (5) years before the date of application will not be accepted by the Board absent a showing of good cause, as determined by the Board. However, this may not apply in those exceptions allowable under statute concerning addiction counselor candidates.

4. All applicants for licensure have a continuing obligation to update their application with information changes from the original application at any time prior to licensure.

B. Education and Training Requirements.

1. Applicant must provide evidence of completion of a master's or doctorate degree in one of the behavioral health sciences from an accredited school, college, or university or an equivalent program as determined by the Board.

2. Applicant must have completed the required hours of addiction specific training, including training in evidenced-based treatment approached, clinical supervision, ethics and co-occuring disorders as is required to meet the criteria for a certificate of addiction counseling, level III through March 31, 2020.

3. On or after April 1, 2021, Applicant must have completed the required hours of addiction specific training, including training in evidenced-based treatment approached, clinical supervision, ethics and co-occuring disorders as is required to meet the criteria for a certificate addiction specialist.

C. Experience Requirements. The Board will approve practice as meeting the requirements for licensure set out in section 12-245-804(1), C.R.S., when that practice satisfies the requirements of this Rule.

1. Definitions. As used in sections 12-245-804, C.R.S., and in this Rule, unless the context indicates otherwise:
a. "Individual supervision" means supervision rendered to one individual at a time.

b. "Group supervision" means supervision rendered to not more than ten individuals at one time.

c. "Clinical Supervision" means personal direction and responsible direction provided in-person or virtually by a supervisor who meets the criteria defined by the Board.
(1) "Personal direction" means direction actually rendered by the approved supervisor.

(2) "Responsible direction" or "direction" means the approved supervisor has sufficient knowledge of all clients for whom supervision is provided, including face-to-face contact with the client when necessary, to develop and to monitor effective service delivery procedures and the supervisee's treatment plan. Further, all decisions requiring the special skill, knowledge, and/or training of a licensed addiction counselor are made in collaboration with, and with the approval of, the approved supervisor. Such decisions include, but are not limited to: type, duration, effectiveness, and method of addiction counseling services provided; fees and billing procedures; approval of cases; and personal observation, evaluation, oversight, review, and correction of services provided by the supervisee.

e. "Consultation" describes a voluntary relationship between professionals of relative equal expertise or status wherein the consultant offers her/his best advice or information on an individual case or problem for use by the consultee as s/he deems appropriate in her/his professional judgment. Consultation is not supervision. Experience under contract for consultation will not be credited toward fulfillment of supervision requirements.

2. Certification of Completion. Each applicant shall file with the Board, upon forms supplied by the Board, a verified statement signed under penalty of law by their approved supervisor(s) attesting to the applicant's satisfactory completion of the required work experience and supervision hours towards licensure under supervision and attesting to the applicant's having met the generally accepted standards of practice during the supervised practice.

3. Clinical Supervision.
a. The Board will accept any of the following as a supervisor:
(1) A licensed addiction counselor who, at the time of supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction in which the applicant's services were performed.

(2) An addiction counselor may be approved as a supervisor, who, at the time of the supervision, was licensed at the highest possible level in another jurisdiction in which the applicant's services were performed. The Board will consider supervised experience obtained in another jurisdiction by an individual who is not licensed as a licensed addiction counselor in the other jurisdiction, if the jurisdiction in which such person was practicing did not provide for such certification, licensure listing or registration. The applicant's supervisor shall document to the satisfaction of the Board her/his competence in the same field of addiction counseling as that in which the applicant is seeking licensure. Other professionals with equivalent experience as approved by the Board on a case-by-case basis.

b. The approved supervisor shall keep records that will enable her/him to effectively train, evaluate, and credit the applicant with the exact number of hours of acceptable practice of addiction counseling, and the exact number of hours of supervision completed in compliance with this Rule. The approved supervisor shall keep and make available the records for five years from the date of supervision.

4. Number of hours of experience practicing addiction counseling under supervision. Applicants must complete 3000 hours of supervised experience in addiction counseling with a minimum of 2000 direct clinical hours.

C. Examination. In accordance with sections 12-245-804(1)(d), C.R.S., the Board establishes these requirements for certification as an addiction technician or specialist.

1. Jurisprudence Examination. Applicants shall be required to pass a Board developed jurisprudence examination;

2. National Examination. Applicants shall take and pass the examination specified in section 12-245-804(1)(d)(I), C.R.S.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Colorado may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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