Frequently Asked Questions for LAC & LCAC

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You are required to have at least a baccalaureate degree in addiction counseling or a related field and as part of, or in addition to the degree, 33 semester hours of addiction specific course work. The specific coursework may be found in K.A.R. 102-7-3.

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You must meet all requirements, including conferral of your degree, to become a Licensed Addiction Counselor EXCEPT passage of the examination.  The temporary license will allow you to practice while you are waiting to sit for the exam.

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There is not a separate application for a temporary license. Once the licensure application has been submitted and reviewed by the board you will be notified of your eligibility for a temporary license.  It is important to understand that you will not be eligible for a temporary license until the Board has received a transcript with your degree posted.

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No. Continuing education is not required during the time you are temporary licensed.

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The National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) examination is the exam which Kansas uses for licensure. The NCAC II is the exam level required for an addiction counselor license. The exam is offered four times a year in one week windows.
If you have previously taken and passed the IC&RC examination you will not be required to sit for the NCAC II exam. However, you will need to have your exam score transferred to the BSRB.

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You must submit a licensure application to the Board office at least 8 weeks prior to the desired testing date. Once the Board approves your application you will be instructed on how to register for the exam.

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Indefinitely.

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No, Kansas does not have reciprocity with any specific state. Kansas does have licensure through reciprocity which can be met by one of the following:
            1. The state in which you are currently licensed has substantially equivalent requirements* to those for licensure in Kansas.
            2. You are currently licensed and in good standing and meet the following requirements
                        a. Continuous licensure and practice as an addiction counselor for the last 5 years with the minimum required work experience hours as listed in K.A.R. 102-7-4b.
                        b. Completion of at least a baccalaureate degree in addiction counseling or completion of at least a baccalaureate degree in a related field, approved by the Board, with all required addiction coursework as found in K.A.R. 102-7-3.
*When the BSRB considers substantially equivalent requirements, it is based on the original state’s licensure requirements to the licensure requirements of Kansas as of the date of application for reciprocity.  Individual courses that the applicant completed is not reviewed in this case.

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No, at this time Kansas does not require applicants to pass a Jurisprudence examination.

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At this time, continuing education programs, for addiction counselors, are not pre-approved by the BSRB.  A general guideline to remember is: "If the presentation, workshop and/or seminar is clearly related to the enhancement of addiction counseling practice, values, skills and knowledge" then it should be acceptable.

You are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of addiction counseling related continuing education, inclusive of 3 hours of professional ethics per K.A.R. 102-7-9.

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Extensions are not granted for the renewal of a license.  If you are unable to renew your license by the expiration date, you will be required to reinstate.

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Once you are licensed as an Addiction Counselor and you have completed at least a masters degree approved by the Board, you may submit a clinical supervision training plan.  The training plan must be pre-approved by the BSRB in writing.

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Yes, if you are licensed and practicing in Kansas, a training plan must be submitted to, and approved by, the BSRB, before a person can count any accrued hours.  The BSRB is not able to backdate any training plans.  You will not be allowed to count any hours you accrue if you do not have an approved training plan on file with the BSRB.

If you are practicing in an addiction treatment setting, under a previously approved training plan for another profession regulated by our Board,  you are not required to submit an additional training plan for addiction counseling.

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You must submit all changes in your training plan to the BSRB office within 45 days of the change.  If you fail to do this you will lose the hours accrued after the change.  Please see K.A.R. 102-7-6.

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Yes. Please see the addiction counseling forms section on our website.

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No, the BSRB cannot approve a training plan for someone who is not licensed and practicing in Kansas.

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The supervision and the experience hours will be reviewed and compared with the requirements for clinical licensure in Kansas.  The hours and supervision will need to meet our requirements in order to be accepted.  Please see K.A.R. 102-7-6.

The clinical supervisor shall meet one of the following:

                a. The clinical supervisor shall be a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC) who is licensed in Kansas and, on and after January 1, 2014, who has practiced as a clinical addiction counselor for  2 years beyond their licensure date. 

                b. If an LCAC is not available, the clinical supervisor may be a Licensed Psychologist  (LP), Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW), Licensed Clinical Psychotherapist (LCP), Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT), or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).  The qualifying individual shall have no less than two years of clinical practice beyond the qualifying licensure date.  Please see K.A.R. 102-7-6.

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 4,000 hours of post-graduate supervised work experience over a minimum of 24 months, including 1500 hours of direct client contact conducting substance abuse assessment and treatment, and 150 hours of supervision, are required.  The supervision shall be provided throughout the entirety of the postgraduate supervised experience at a ratio of one hour of clinical supervision for each 20 hours of direct client contact.  Of the 150 required supervision hours, at least 50 hours of one-on-one, individual clinical supervision occurring with the supervisor and supervisee in the same physical space. The remaining 100 hours may be in either group or individual supervision.  There may be no more than six supervisees in a supervisory group.  There must be at least two separate supervision sessions per month, at least one of which shall be one-on-one individual supervision.  You may begin accrual of supervised hours once your training plan has been approved in writing by the BSRB.

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No, there is no mandatory number of hours that must be met weekly or monthly during supervision, except the two supervision sessions per month.

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No, the 4000 hours of post-graduate experience must be obtained in no less than 24 months from the time supervision begins.

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A. Yes, there is no maximum time limit.

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A. Yes, all requirements, except the examination, must be completed prior to submitting an application.

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Applicants are required to pass the Master’s Addiction Counseling (MAC) exam.  As of December 2015, the exam is offered on demand through NAADAC.

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You must submit a complete licensure application to the Board office. Once the Board approves your application, you will be instructed on how to register for the exam.