Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor FAQs

Thank you for visiting the LADC FAQs. Here you will find the answers to many of your profession-specific questions. Please visit OPR’s General FAQs which will answer many of your general licensing questions, including online services access.

• I am an AAP or ADC. Do these rules mean I cannot practice outside of a DSU (formally ADAP) Certified Provider?
• I want to apply for an AAP or ADC. Do I have to work at a DSU (formally ADAP) Certified Provider?
• I am currently an AAP or am pursing that license. Do the new rules now allow me to remain at the AAP licensure level indefinitely?
• I have a pending application. When the old rules were in effect, I was advised that I needed to do more to reach the 300-hour SUD-specific education requirement. The new rules make me eligible now with fewer hours. Were my extra hours wasted?
• I received my license under the old rules but the new rules require fewer hours. Can I use those extra hours that I wouldn’t need under the new rules toward my continuing education?
• I am an out-of-state Alcohol & Drug Counselor licensed in a jurisdiction with rules somewhat different from Vermont’s. What does it take to earn a Vermont license?
• I am an out-of-state Alcohol & Drug Counselor licensed in a jurisdiction with rules substantially equivalent to Vermont’s. What does it take to earn a Vermont license?
• I am an LADC who earned my license under the Certification Board and received my OPR LADC license through grandfathering. Do these rules mean that I cannot renew?
• I am an LADC who earned my license under the Certification Board and I have not yet applied for the transition to get my license from OPR.

I am an AAP or ADC. Do these rules mean I cannot practice outside of a DSU (formally ADAP) Certified Provider?

Those who hold an AAP or ADC are deemed to be on the Roster of Psychotherapists who are Non-Licensed and Non-Certified. Under the new rules, they needn’t apply twice or pay two fees. They may practice psychotherapy in private practice, and they may list their AAP or ADC-related education and training on mandatory disclosure forms, but AAPs and ADCs are entitled to work outside a DSU Certified Providers because they are rostered, not because they are AAPs or ADCs. Please do not use the AAP or ADC credential to market services outside the Certified-Provider setting.

I want to apply for an AAP or ADC. Do I have to work at a DSU (formally ADAP) Certified Provider?

Yes. Affiliation with a DSU Certified Provider is required to obtain an AAP or ADC credential. Please see the explanation above regarding working under the Roster of Psychotherapists who are Non-Licensed and Non-Certified. One may earn supervised clinical practice credit outside the DSU Certified Provider network, but the AAP and ADC are meaningful only within DSU programs.

I am currently an AAP or am pursing that license. Do the new rules now allow me to remain at the AAP licensure level indefinitely?

Yes. The new rules allow an AAP to renew indefinitely, so long as the AAP is enrolled at least part-time in a degree program or holds at least an associate’s degree and is otherwise qualified to renew.

I have a pending application. When the old rules were in effect, I was advised that I needed to do more to reach the 300-hour SUD-specific education requirement. The new rules make me eligible now with fewer hours. Were my extra hours wasted?

You didn’t waste your time. Hours earned beyond those required for licensure may be applied toward continuing education requirements.

I received my license under the old rules but the new rules require fewer hours. Can I use those extra hours that I wouldn’t need under the new rules toward my continuing education?

No. Application requirements are determined by the rules in effect at the time of your licensure.

I am an out-of-state Alcohol & Drug Counselor licensed in a jurisdiction with rules somewhat different from Vermont’s. What does it take to earn a Vermont license?

If you have been practicing for five or more years and are otherwise qualified, you are presumed to meet Vermont supervision requirements, and it is very likely you’ve already earned required SUD-specific training. The law requires that you hold an MS or greater and pass or have passed the IC&RC Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor Exam (AADC) or another exam acceptable to the Director.

I am an out-of-state Alcohol & Drug Counselor licensed in a jurisdiction with rules substantially equivalent to Vermont’s. What does it take to earn a Vermont license?

If you are from a jurisdiction already listed as substantially equivalent, complete our license verification form and your application.

If you believe your home jurisdiction should be listed as substantially equivalent, show that equivalence with citation to applicable statutes and rules. OPR will assess whether to add your home jurisdiction to the list of equivalent jurisdictions.

I am an LADC who earned my license under the Certification Board and received my OPR LADC license through grandfathering. Do these rules mean that I cannot renew?

No. The new rules are effective prospectively. A licensee who was “grandfathered” by Act 156 of 2016 may renew his or her license indefinitely. Take care to maintain continuous licensure and to meet CE requirements.

I am an LADC who earned my license under the Certification Board and I have not yet applied for the transition to get my license from OPR.

Don’t panic, but please contact OPR right away for assistance with completing the transition for your OPR license. One may not practice as an LADC without a valid OPR license (3 V.S.A. § 127), and you may be at risk.

For more answers to commonly asked questions, please visit our General FAQ page.

For more information, please contact us.