Announcements

About DCCB/PADC

In 1984 a group of Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals started what is now the District of Columbia Certification Board for Professional Alcohol and Drug Counselors. The Board was created to set standards for the Addictions Treatment professional working in the District of Columbia. In 1988 the Board joined with the organization that is now called the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drugs of Abuse (“ICRC/AODA”) to provide consistent standards in all states for substance abuse counselors and allow for movement (reciprocity) from one state to another.

Certification is a process whereby a set of standards are created to assure a minimum level of competency for those employed in the field of addiction counseling. The mission and purpose of the Board is to protect the public seeking addiction services by assessing competency and awarding a credential attesting to a counselor’s having met the requirements necessary to practice addictions in a jurisdiction. The DC Board complies with the standards set by the ICRC/AODA for its reciprocal credentials.

ICRC/AODA member boards are the recognized bodies by the U.S. Government in its credentialing regulations, for credentialing in most of the United States, the U.S. Military, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Indian Nations, a growing number of other countries and the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities.

Steps to Submitting Certification Application

  Read application instructions thoroughly. 
  Attach ALL required documentation, forms and fees.
  Retain a copy of all submitted materials for your records.
  Submit originals of all training certificates and documents.
  DCCB/PADC will notify, in writing, all applicants of the Board's decision.

DCCB Endorsement Benefits

A system for identifying, assessing, and endorsing counselors' continuing education programs is intended to achieve the following:

A. FOR THE CLIENT Provide and assure that the counselor offering services is competent through continued clinical skill development, on-going supervision for growth and monitoring, and continued knowledge to remain current with the latest advances in the field of addictions treatment and has the knowledge and abilities to deliver quality services/care for appropriate substance abuse treatment.

B. FOR THE COUNSELOR Provides official recognition of having met a standard of criteria set by the profession attesting to competency to practice as a chemical dependency treatment professional. Additionally, identifies those programs that offer certified alcohol/drug counselors the opportunity to acquire and upgrade their requisite clinical skills, update their knowledge and develop their multi-cultural sensitivity in working with various populations.

C. FOR THE PROFESSION Monitor the development, delivery, and maintenance of a high quality service to diverse populations through continuing education of alcohol-drug counselors in the Washington, D.C.- Metropolitan Area. Provides a consistent set of standards nationwide/worldwide for professionals practicing addictions treatment.

Residency Requirements

ALL candidates for certification with DCCB/PADC must live and/or work in the District of Columbia 50% or more of their time, unless the State in which you live and/or work does not have a certification board which is a member of the ICRC/AODA.