1. STEPS TO CERTIFICATION

1. Obtain an application packet, which includes the following:
• Certification Procedures and Guidelines
• WVCBAPP Counselor Certification Manual
• WVCBAPP Code of Ethics (Adopted from NAADAC’s Code of Ethics)
• Application, including Supervised Practical Experience Outline Form
• Demographic Data Form - Some individuals find questions of age or race to be offensive. This information is requested so that the Board can respond to national surveys by NAADAC and ICRC/AODA.
• Fee Schedule
• Complete the application and return it to the Certification Board with the appropriate fees.
  
2. Application Deadline -- Deadlines are determined by the ICRC/AODA test date schedule.  To obtain information about the current application deadline, contact the certification board offices at (304)-746-2942.
3. The Board will notify applicants of any deficiencies in their applications, and will notify applicants of their eligibility to take the written test. The application, and requirements for certification, must be substantially complete prior to taking the written test. Applicants must pay a late fee for items that are received by the Certification Board after the application deadline. For more information on this topic, see the section titled "Application Deadline" below.
   
4. The Board will notify the applicants of the date, time and location of the written test. A registration form will be sent with the notification.
   
5. Complete the registration form to take the written test and return it with the appropriate fee to the Certification Board.
   
6. Take the written test. Those who pass at the reciprocal level and have met all other requirements will be eligible to take the oral (CPM) test. Those who pass at the CIS level (within one standard deviation below the reciprocal level) will be awarded the Counselor In Service credential once all of the requirements for certification at that level have been met. Individuals who pass the written test at the reciprocal level, but who have not met all other requirements, will have two years from the date of the written test to complete all reciprocal requirements including the oral (CPM) test. After that period of time, the written test must be retaken.
   
7. Take the oral (CPM) test. This requires writing up a case according to the prescribed CPM format, and taking a structured oral interview before a panel of three ICRC/AODA trained evaluators.
   
8. The Board awards all certificates at the Annual Fall Conference of the West Virginia Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors, at the awards banquet.

2. TIME CONSIDERATIONS

Application Deadline: Deadlines are determined by the Certification Board and are relative to the test date. To obtain information about the current application deadline, contact the Certificaion Board offices at 304-746-2942.

Completion Period: An applicant has one certification period (two years), from the date of his/her passing the written test, to pass all examinations and meet all other requirements for certification. If an individual does not complete all requirements and pass the examinations in this time frame, he/she must reapply to continue in the process. In addition, an applicant must retake the written test if he/she has not completed the entire reciprocal process within two years of the date that the written test was passed at the reciprocal level.

Eligibility Period for Tests: In order to be eligible to take the written test, the applicant’s portfolio (application and all related materials) must be substantially complete. The period between the date when application is made and the administration of the CPM oral test may be used to complete those requirements that were not fulfilled prior to the written test. However, these post-application activities must be verified with the Board prior to receipt of certification, and may be subject to a late fee.

An applicant who passes the written examination at the reciprocal level and is subsequently certified as a CIS may up-grade within the two-year period, without retaking the written examination, as long as they maintain their CIS certification and meet reciprocal pre-test requirements.

Incomplete applications will be returned, or the applicant will be notified of the deficiencies and will be required to submit additional documentation to correct all deficiencies. A fee will be assessed for each individual item submitted to correct deficiencies.

Every individual who has attained certification (at either of the two credentialing levels) must seek recertification by the end of the two-year certification period, in order to maintain an active credential.

STEPS TO RECERTIFICATION:

1. Complete the recertification application form and return it no later than August 30th of the year of the credential’s expiration date. (Application forms will generally be mailed to the certified individual at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of their credential. However, it remains the responsibility to the certified professional to obtain, complete and submit recertification documents in a timely way.
   
2. Furnish documentation of forty (40) hours of continuing education. These hours must consist of a minimum of 40 contact hours of training which has been given approved continuing education status by the Certification Board.
   
3. Six (6) of the forty (40) hours of continuing education must be “addiction specific,” by which is meant that the course title, description or content clearly indicates that the training addresses chemical and behavioral dependencies directly. For example, “Group Therapy” would not meet the criteria, whereas “Group Therapy for Alcoholics” would.
   
4. Pay the required fee.

OBTAINING APPROVED STATUS FOR TRAINING:
Certification Board approval for continuing education hours/events may be gained in a variety of ways:

• By the sponsoring agent: The individual, agency or institution sponsoring the training submits an application and fee to the Certification Board. The Board reviews the materials and, if appropriate, approves a set number of contact hours.
  
• By the individual attending the training: The individual attending the training submits an application and fee to the Certification Board. The Board reviews the materials and, if appropriate, approves a set number of contact hours.
  
• By the trainer or faculty member: The person teaching the course or workshop submits an application and fee to the Certification Board. The Board reviews the materials and, if appropriate, approves a set number of contact hours.

Procedures and applications for these processes may be obtained from the Certification Board.

LATE FEE:
A late fee of $75 is charged to any re-certification applicant if the application has not been postmarked by August 31^st. 

INACTIVE STATUS:
A. Once a certified professional fails to submit the re-certification packet by August 31^st of the year in which he/she is supposed to re-certify, the credential is considered to be "inactive" and may not be used until re-certification is obtained. The individual may not identify him/herself as a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPSI or CPSII), Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC), Counselor in Service (CIS), Certified Clinical Addiction Counselor (CCAC), Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS), or Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professional and must notify his/her employer of the inactive status of the credential in question. Since the Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) credential requires that the individual holds an active CAC credential, one's CCS will also become inactive if the CAC or CCAC credential becomes inactive.

B. The individual can regain his/her credential up to 90 days past the expiration date by completing the re-certification process and paying all late fees ($75.) After the 90 day period, your certification will be null and void and the individual will have to re-apply, complete all certification paperwork and take all tests in order to be re-credentialed.

EXTENSION OF THE RECERTIFICATION PERIOD:

Once a certified professional fails to submit the re-certification packet by August 31^st of the year in which he/she is supposed to re-certify, the credential is considered to be “inactive” and may not be used until re-certification is obtained.  The individual may not identify him/herself as a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPSI or CPSII, Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC), Counselor in Service (CIS), Certified Clinical Addiction Counselor, Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS), or Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professional and must notify his/her employer of the inactive status of the credential in question.  Since the Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) credential requires that the individual holds an active CAC credential, one’s CCS will also become inactive if the CAC or CCAC credential becomes inactive. 

The individual can regain his/her credential up to 90 days past the expiration date by completing the re-certification process and paying all late fees ($75)  After the 90 day period, your certification will be null and void and the individual will have to re-apply, complete all certification paperwork and take all tests in order to be re-credentialed. 

The certification manuals below are provided in Adobe Acrobat portable document format (.pdf). To view them, you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can download it from here.

Manual Available Formats Manual for Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) Adobe Acrobat Format Microsoft Word Format Manual for Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) Adobe Acrobat Format Microsoft Word Format CCJP Application/Manual Adobe Acrobat Format Microsoft Word Format Manual for Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC) Certified Clinical Addiction Counselor (CCAC) or Counselor in Service (CIS) Adobe Acrobat Format Microsoft Word Format

The following applications are provided in Adobe Acrobat portable document format (.pdf). To view them, you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can download it from here.

Application Available Formats Application for Clinical Supervisor Certification (CCS) Adobe Acrobat Format Application for Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) Adobe Acrobat Format CCJP Application/Manual Adobe Acrobat Format Application for Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC) Certified Clinical Addiction Counselor (CCAC) or Counselor in Service (CIS) Adobe Acrobat Format Adobe Acrobat Format Recertification Applications Adobe Acrobat Format Microsoft Word Format