Applicants may be required to appear in person before the Advisory Committee. Five members will be appointed by the APSC Board of Directors. Four members will be former members of the certification board and one member shall be a Clinical Supervisor not affiliated with the Certification Commission. This committee will review all appeals regarding certification and present findings to the APSC President and the Board of Directors for resolution.

A.   Certification may be refused or revoked for the following reasons, including but not limited to:

1. Failure to adhere to the APSC Professional Ethical Standards as signed and agreed to by the applicant.
2. Fraud or deception in reporting employment circumstances, training, or supervision when applying for certification or in taking the examinations provided in this process.
3. Pending felony charges or conviction of felony charges and convictions of misdemeanors.
4. Practice of alcohol and other drug counseling using a false or assumed name or impersonating another counselor.
5. Use of illegal drugs, abuse of prescription drugs and mind-altering drugs, or any substance, which may interfere with competent and attentive performance of duties.
6. Providing services for which one is not licensed or certified to perform.
7. Negligence or wrongful actions in the performance of one’s duties.
8. Misrepresentation of credentials.
9. Non-Adherence to continuing education/training requirement for recertification.

B.   Written complaints concerning an ADC must be submitted to the APSC Board President. Any person may make a complaint. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated. When warranted, the final phase of investigation will be a hearing with the accused, the complainant and all other pertinent witnesses present. Persons making a complaint must be willing to follow the process all the way through or there is NOTHING that can be done about the complaint.

C.   A final decision on all ethics hearings will be submitted in writing to the APSC Board. The accused and the individual initiating the complaint shall be notified of any decisions in writing after the next regularly scheduled meeting of the APSC Board.

Certification Requirements:

Alcohol and Drug Counselor – 300 clock hours

Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor – 450 clock hours

Clinical Supervisor
Master’s in a clinical subject from a regionally accredited institution and 250 clock hours of training and education, plus 30 hours of clinical supervision training or education regardless of degree.

Acceptable workshop and training hours must be relevant to the Domains. If you are unsure hours will be accepted, please contact the APSC office.

Contact hours are defined as actual number of classroom or workshop hours spent in the activity, exclusive of breaks, or the actual supervised hours spent in a practicum, internship or apprenticeship.

Internship or practicum may be counted as work experience.

Required hours: Six hours training in professional ethics and three hours in HIV/AIDS education for new applications. A minimum of six hours of Ethics training is required every two years for recertification as part of the 40 hours required for recertification.

Credit will be given for college courses relevant to the field of counseling and/or addiction provided a grade of “C” or better is achieved. Three (3) semester hours equal thirty (30) clock hours for undergraduate courses and 45 clock hours for graduate courses. An official transcript received directly from the institution is required when using college courses for clock hour credit. One (1) CEU equals 10 clock hours.

Continuing education must be sponsored by an organization, institution or group recognized as knowledgeable in the field of substance use disorders. All courses must be from human resources as educational requirements for certification or recertification.

Application
Must be complete, demonstrating that experience meets criteria for eligibility. Applicable fees must be included for application to be considered. Allow 7-10 Business days to process applications.

Job Description
Job description for each position that relates to counselor Domains. An official job description of current or most recent related position must be included. Include dates of employment, hours worked weekly, list of specific responsibilities and duties, and validation of functioning in all Domains. Must be signed and dated by employee and employer.

Evaluator’s Statement
Clinical Supervisor’s Statement: Completed evaluation form with statement of strengths and needs for specific Domains, submitted with complete packet in sealed/signed envelope. Clinical Supervisor’s statement must be provided by an addictions professional.

Philosophy of Treatment

Your definition of substance use disorders and how it should be treated.

Theory or technique(s) applied in the practice of treatment.

Case Record:
A written case record in which applicant as primary counselor has provided the full range of care from intake through termination/continuing care.

No client names or other identifying information may be evident on case record.

Transcript:
Official transcripts received directly from academic institution. Sealed/signed copies provided to the student is acceptable.

Training:
Acceptable documentation may be a copy of training certificates.

Clinical Supervision:
A form is supplied for documentation of Clinical Supervision. Care should be taken to document the number of hours and/or minutes and provide information as to whether the supervision session was individual or group supervision. Documentation of clinical supervision, not administrative supervision, is required. The Clinical Supervisor must be an APSC AADC or CS, NAADAC NCAC II or MAC or a Board-Certified Addiction Specialist credential by American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM), American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM), or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), with sufficient experience and expertise to provide guidance to in-process persons. At least 40 hours must have been within the past two years by a SCAADAC certified addictions professional.

South Carolina Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors Ethical Standards

The APSC is comprised of alcoholism and drug abuse counselors who, as responsible health care professionals, believe in the dignity and worth of human beings. In the practice of their profession they assert that the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence and justice must guide their professional conduct. As professionals dedicated to the treatment of alcohol and drug dependent clients and their families, they believe that they can effectively treat its individual and familial manifestations. SCAADAC members dedicate themselves to promote the best interests of their society, of their clients, of their profession and of their colleagues.

As a state affiliate of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, APSC adheres to the Code of Ethics set by NAADAC. The principles are listed below; however, the complete listing should be downloaded and read by the counselor. Download the complete Code of Ethics at www.addictionprofessionalsofsouthcarolina.org

Principles
Principle I: The Counseling Relationship
Principle II: Confidentiality and Privileged Communication
Principle III: Professional Responsibilities and Workplace Standards
Principle IV: Working In a Culturally Diverse World
Principle V: Assessment, Evaluation and Interpretation
Principle VI: E-Therapy, E-Supervision, and Social Media
Principle VII: Supervision and Consultation
Principle VIII: Resolving Ethical Concerns
Principle IX: Research and Publication

Updated July 1, 2019