27 Continuing Education
MAINTAINING YOUR CERTIFICATION—CERTIFIED AOD COUNSELOR
Certified Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) counselors will follow the guidelines set forth in the Illinois Model for Counselor Certification. They are required to pay a biennial certification fee and submit continuing education units (CEUs).
To maintain the high standards of the professional practice and to ensure continuing awareness of new knowledge in the field, ICB requires all certified AOD counselors to renew their certification every two years. Certified AOD counselors have the responsibility to maintain and renew their credential, and any failure to act is their responsibility. Counselors must notify ICB in writing of any change of address. They are required to pay a biennial certification fee and submit continuing education units (CEUs).
Certified AOD counselors will be notified that their certification is about to expire no fewer than 30 days prior to the expiration date. The renewal notice will come via email. They will submit their biennial certification fee and CEUs to the Illinois Certification Board (ICB) by their expiration date. Forms for the documentation of CEUs are available on the ICB’s website, www.iaodapca.org, under Credentialing/Credentialing Forms/Counselor. The form must be completed, signed, and submitted with proof of attendance. CEUs should not be submitted until notification of expiration. CEUs can be uploaded at time of payment.
Certified AOD counselors may arrange a payment plan for the biennial certification fee by selecting a payment option on the fee statement provided to the counselor. Such requests must be received PRIOR to the expiration date. If 45 days have passed from the expiration date without payment of biennial certification fee and/or submission of continuing education units, that certification shall be terminated. A non-response to biennial notices will result in termination of certification.
Continuing Education Policy
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- Forty (40) ICB-approved continuing education units (CEUs) are required to maintain certification and must be earned within the two-year certification period. An average of 20 CEUs should be obtained each year. CEUs are not transferable to any other certification period. CEUs obtained prior to the certified counselor’s initial date of certification are not eligible for maintaining certification. Certified AOD counselors may receive CEU credit only once for a training event, even if it is repeated during different certification periods. A CEU is equivalent to one clock hour. (Excluded is non-program time such as breaks, social hours, registration time, meal times). One college semester hour of credit is equivalent to 15 CEUs, one college trimester hour of credit is equivalent to 12 CEUs, and one college quarter hour of credit is equivalent to 10 CEUs.
- All 40 CEUs required to maintain certification must be recognized or petitioned for ICB CEUs. Continuing education is broken down into two categories with some education recognized by ICB for both categories.
CATEGORY I (Counselor I): Minimum 15 CEUs of education specific to AOD.
Examples: pharmacology, the effects of alcohol or drugs on the human body, signs and symptoms of alcohol and other drugs use, dynamics of substance use disorders, medical treatment issues, detoxification/withdrawal, relapse, AOD rules and regulations, AOD special populations, history of AOD.
CATEGORY II (Counselor II): Minimum 25 CEUs of education specific to knowledge and skills/Performance Domains related to the Core Functions of AOD counselors (refer to the Illinois Model for a list of core functions), but does not have to be AOD-specific. This education covers counselor skills, competencies, and knowledge base.
Examples: theory/techniques of therapeutic approaches, human behavior/development, dysfunctional behavior, family dynamics, domestic violence, cultural issues, special populations, social services, confidentiality, legal systems, intervention/prevention strategies, health/safety, professional relationship dynamics, crisis intervention, psychology, clinical documentation.
CSADCs and CAADCs: six (6) of the 25 CEUs needed for Category II must be training received in how to provide clinical supervision.
- CADCs who are also Licensed Private Practitioners, are required to only submit ten (10) Category I alcohol and other drug specific CEUs for recertification. Category II CEUs are not required. Recertification is contingent on continued good standing of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) license; therefore, proof of a current license is required and must be submitted with their biennial CADC renewal. (This policy is applicable to CADCs only. CRADCs, CSADCs, and CAADCs are not eligible for this policy and therefore, must submit 40 CEUs at the time of recertification.)Licensed Private Practitioner means a health care practitioner who is one of the following:
- A physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of 1987
- An Advanced Practice Nurse with a psychiatric specialty licensed under the Nursing and Advanced Practice Nursing Act [225 ILCS 65]
- A clinical psychologist licensed under the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act [225 ILCS 15]
- A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) licensed under the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act [225 ILCS 20]
- A licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) licensed under the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing Act [225 ILCS 107]
- A licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) licensed under the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act [225 ILCS 55]
Sources of Continuing Education Units
- Recognized programs are training/education programs ICB has identified as fulfilling the criteria for CEU credit and have been awarded CEUs by ICB or are pre-recognized sources. The certificate of completion will contain the name of the participant, name and date of the program, signature of instructor or sponsor, program number assigned by ICB, number of CEUs, and the category designation.
- Structured individual continuing education, such as the ICB Bibliocredit Reading Program and other home study programs, is available to certified AOD counselors with a maximum of 15 CEUs every two years.
- Certified AOD counselors may receive up to 12 Category II CEUs every two years for volunteer time serving as a member of the Board of Directors, a member of a Board committee, or a member of another ICB committee.
- Providing clinical supervision to an AOD practicum student enrolled in an ICB AOD Counselor Training Program qualifies for up to 15 CEUs in a two-year certification period.
- Teaching and/or training other AOD professionals in AOD knowledge or competency areas qualifies for up to a maximum of 15 CEUs in a two-year certification period. The number of CEUs awarded will be equal to the number of hours spent in actual training time. Patient education and public education lectures are not eligible for CEUs. Presentations for which the AOD counselor has previously received credit are also not eligible. Petitions must be submitted for any presentations that have not been awarded ICB CEUs.
- Research papers accepted for publication, reading, or discussion at a professional meeting or conference, and professional publications in the AOD field qualify for up to a maximum of 15 CEUs in a two-year certification period. The topic must pertain to alcohol and other drugs and address one of the core functions, performance domains, or knowledge or skill area. The work can be counted only once, even though presented in more than one format or location. Petitions must be submitted for CEUs.
agency in-service education And Training Programs
Of the 40 CEUs required biennially, 20 CEUs may be agency in-service training programs. In-services not previously awarded CEU recognition by ICB must be petitioned for CEUs.
validation of Continuing Education
Certified AOD counselors must document they have obtained CEUs and submit the appropriate validation for each educational experience.
- Certificates or other proof of completion for ICB recognized or petitioned trainings.
- Transcripts or other official grade reports for college or university courses.
Procedures for Counselors to petition for ceus
Not all educational experiences available to the certified AOD counselor will have been awarded CEUs by ICB, requiring the counselor to petition such education/training for CEU credit. Requests are to be submitted to ICB on the petition form with the following information:
- Documentation of attendance
- Goals and objectives of the program
- Date/length of program in clock hours
- Brochure describing program content
- Sponsor, location, instructor, and target population
- Definition of the training type (publication, workshop, seminar)
- Identification of the AOD specific content and/or knowledge/skill related to the Core Functions
- Non-refundable petition fee
Requests will be reviewed within 30 days and the counselor will be notified of the results. If recognized, the counselor will be informed of the number of CEUs awarded.
EXTENSION OF CONTINUING Education REQUIREMENTS
Certified AOD counselors unable to meet the continuing education requirements for recertification may request an extension in writing. Extensions are $10.00 per month for up to six months from the expiration date. To request an extension, certified AOD counselors must include the biennial certification fee plus $10.00 per month with a written request. Extension will not be granted beyond six months. If at the end of six months of extensions, certified AOD counselors have not met the requirements for recertification, their certification will be terminated. They will not be permitted to place their certification on inactive status. Reinstatement shall be through completing the full certification requirement.
NOTE: Certified AOD counselors should remember that the process leaves only 18 months to obtain CEU credit for the current recertification period.
INACTIVE STATUS
Certified AOD counselors in good standing unable to meet the continuing education requirements for recertification maintenance due to health or extenuating personal reasons may place their certificate on inactive status if they meet the requirements. The process for reactivation from inactive status will then be followed when they wish to activate their certification.
