2022 Colorado Code
Title 12 - Professions and Occupations
Article 245 - Mental Health
Part 8 - Addiction Counselors
§ 12-245-804. Requirements for Licensure, Certification, and Registration - Rules - Repeal

1. The board shall issue a license as an addiction counselor to an applicant who files an application in the form and manner required by the board, submits the fee required by the board pursuant to section 12-245-205, and submits evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant:
   1. Is at least twenty-one years of age;
   2. Is not in violation of any provision of this article 245 or any rules promulgated by the board;
   3. Has completed a master's or doctoral degree in the behavioral health sciences from an accredited school, college, or university or an equivalent program as determined by the board;
   4. Demonstrates professional competence by:
      1. Passing the master addiction counselor examination administered by the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, or an equivalent examination administered by a successor organization; and
      2. Passing a jurisprudence examination administered by the division;

   5. Has met the education requirements specified in the rules promulgated by the state board of human services in the department of human services pursuant to section 27-80-108 (1)(e.5);
   6. Has completed the number of clock hours of addiction-specific training, as specified by the board by rule, including training in evidence-based treatment approaches, clinical supervision, ethics, and co-occurring disorders; and
   7. Has completed at least two thousand direct clinical hours of clinically supervised work experience in the addiction field. The clinical supervision may be in person or telesupervision.

   (1.5) The board may waive any education requirements in subsection (1)(e) of this section until the department of human services establishes the education requirements for licensure pursuant to section 27-80-108 (1)(e.5). This subsection (1.5) is repealed, effective March 1, 2022.

2. The board shall issue a certification as an addiction counselor to an applicant who files an application in the form and manner required by the board, submits the fee required by the board pursuant to section 12-245-205, and submits evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant:
   1. Is at least eighteen years of age;
   2. Is not in violation of any provision of this article 245 or any rules promulgated by the board or by the state board of human services in the department of human services pursuant to section 27-80-108 (1)(e);
   3. Has met the requirements for certification as a certified addiction technician or a certified addiction specialist as specified in rules adopted pursuant to subsection (3) of this section and as specified in subsection (3.5) of this section.

3. The state board of addiction counselor examiners shall promulgate rules for certification of addiction counselors; except that the state board of human services in the department of human services shall establish by rule education requirements for licensure and certification in accordance with section 27-80-108 (1)(e) and (1)(e.5).

   (3.5) In the rules promulgated pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, the board shall require that:

   1. A certified addiction technician have:
      1. A high school diploma or its equivalent;
      2. Accrued a minimum of one thousand hours of supervised clinical experience hours over a minimum of six months, which includes hours accrued prior to the application for certification so long as the supervised clinical experience hours meet any additional criteria as defined by the board;
      3. Passed a jurisprudence examination as determined by the board; and
      4. Passed the national certification addiction counselor level I examination administered by the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, or an equivalent examination administered by a successor organization;

   2. A certified addiction specialist have:
      1. A bachelor's degree in a behavioral health concentration or human services equivalent;
      2. Accrued a minimum of three thousand hours of supervised clinic work hours over a minimum of eighteen months, which may include the one thousand hours required to be accrued for certification as a certified addiction technician;
      3. Passed a jurisprudence examination as determined by the board; and
      4. Passed the national certification addiction counselor level II examination administered by the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, or an equivalent examination administered by a successor organization.

   1. (3.7) (a) The board shall register as an addiction counselor candidate a person who files an application for registration, accompanied by the fee required by section 12-245-205, who is not in violation of any provision of this article 245 or any rules promulgated by the board, and who:
      1. Submits evidence satisfactory to the board that the person has met the requirements of subsections (1)(a), (1)(b), and (1)(c) of this section; and
      2. Has not previously registered as an addiction counselor candidate with the board.

   2. An addiction counselor candidate registered pursuant to this subsection (3.7) is under the jurisdiction of the board. If the requirements of subsections (1)(d) to (1)(g) of this section are not met within four years after the date of registration as a candidate or within one year if the candidate holds an equivalent credential from another state, the registration of the addiction counselor candidate expires and is not renewable unless the board, in its discretion, grants the candidate an extension. A person whose addiction counselor candidate registration expires is not precluded from applying for licensure or registration with any other mental health board for which the person is qualified.

4. Nothing in this part 8 prevents members of other professions licensed under the laws of this state from rendering services within their scope of practice as set forth in the statutes regulating their professional practices so long as they do not represent themselves to be certified or licensed addiction counselors.

Source: L. 2019: Entire title R&RE with relocations, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1294, § 1, effective October 1. L. 2020: (1)(d)(I), (1)(e), (1)(g), (2)(c), and (3) amended and (3.5) and (3.7) added, (HB 20-1206), ch. 304, p. 1539, §§ 38, 37, effective July 14. L. 2021: (1)(e), (1)(g), (3), IP(3.5)(a), (3.5)(a)(I), IP(3.5)(b), (3.5)(b)(I), and (3.5)(b)(II) amended and (1.5) added, (HB 21-1305), ch. 399, p. 2648, § 3, effective July 1.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 12-43-804 as it existed prior to 2019.