FAQ for Applicants
Question: How do I find just the general requirements to become licensed or certified?
Answer: Click the link for Credentialing (https://www.ncsappb.org/credentialing/) on our webpage. Chose the Credential you are working on and click on it. Once that page opens, click “More Information” to download a brochure that specifically lists the steps and requirements to become licensed or certified.
Once you have a basic grasp of the requirements, you can start your application in LearningBuilder.
The application moves in steps so you will not submit your application all at once. The 3 (or 2, depending on which credential you are applying for) basic steps are outlined in the brochures found on the Credentialing page.
Question: I have started my application, but I cannot find where to upload items?
Answer: You cannot access the application until you have paid the $25 application fee.
For the Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC), Prevention Specialist (PS), and Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS), once you have paid the $25 application fee, your application will unlock and reveal sections to complete your requirements.
For the Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), your transcript must be received and approved first. You will add your master’s degree information to your new LCAS application, and you will receive instructions for how to have your school send your transcript to the Board. Once your transcript has been received and approved as qualifying for the LCAS, you will be prompted to pay the $25 application fee. When the fee has been paid, your application will unlock and reveal sections to complete your requirements.
Question: How many of my required training/education hours can be online?
Answer: 100%.
Question: How much of my supervision can be over telehealth services like Zoom or Teams?
Answer: 100%.
Question: How much of my supervision can be in group or individual settings?
Answer: The NCASPPB does not distinguish between group or individual supervision. Some Boards do count group and individual supervision differently, so check on this with each Board you are applying to.
Question: I’m a new applicant. Who can supervise me?
Answer: Applicants for all credentials must be supervised by a Certified Clinical Supervisor or Clinical Supervisor Intern (CCS or CSI).
Applicants for the Prevention Specialist (PS) may be supervised by another Prevention Specialist (PS) who has been certified for three years or more.
Question: I’m a new applicant. How can I find a supervisor?
Answer: The best way to find a supervisor is through a job. You will find it much easier to look for a job first, and then you will find a supervisor employed within the agency or contracted with the agency.
Question: How do I complete the background check?
Answer: After you pay the $38 Background Check fee, you will be taken to a window to download two forms. One form is called “Applicant Information”, the other is called “Electronic Fingerprint Authorization Release of Information.”
You will fill these two forms out and take them to a local law enforcement agency to complete a LIVESCAN of your prints. You will then upload the signed Electronic Fingerprint Authorization Release of Information back into your LearningBuilder application.
We will typically get the results from the SBI in about 10-15 business days.
Question: How do I complete the background check if I do not live in North Carolina?
Answer: If you are applying to this Board from outside of North Carolina, you will not be able to complete the LIVESCAN at your law enforcement agency.
They will, however, be able to take your prints and give you a completed fingerprint card. You can then scan and email the card to the Board or put it into the mail to the Board’s PO Box. We will then send your fingerprint card to the SBI for processing.
We will typically get the results from the SBI in about 10-15 business days.
Question: How will I know when my background check has been received?
Answer: You will receive an automated email when we receive and upload the results of your background check. If a month or more has passed since you completed your LIVESCAN, and we have not received the results, then something is wrong, and you need to contact the Board.
Question: How does my supervisor enter my hours?
Answer: Once your Experience hours are complete, go to the Experience section of your application and click on “Request Evaluation.” Your supervisor will then be notified to complete an evaluation of the hours.
Question: Can I use old trainings or college courses to get my training hours?
Answer: Yes. We will accept courses that are up to 10 years old. However, at least 40 hours for the LCAS and 60 hours for the CADC must have been completed within the last 2 years.
Question: How do I know what will count for my training/con ed hours?
Please refer to our Training / Con Ed Guidelines for more information about those requirements.
Question: Several parts of my application read “Awaiting Review”. When will you review them so I can submit my application?
Answer: The Board staff does not review items individually. If you are unable to submit your application, then something is missing or incomplete. It is not because there are unreviewed items in your application.
Look around your application for “blue” headings. The blue headings often indicate something in that section is incomplete. For example, if we have not received the results of your background check from the SBI, this section will be blue, and you cannot submit your application until this is received.
Question: How do I change my name in Learning Builder?
Answer: Email Tara Strickland and provide your current name as it appears in LearningBuilder, along with a copy of your ID with your new name.
Question: How do I get a duplicate copy of my certificate?
Answer: The cost of a replacement/duplicate certificate is $25. (There is no charge to replace certificates that arrive damaged due to USPS handling.) Please email your name and credential information to Donna Strickland. You will be sent an invoice via email which can be paid online. Certificate printing is done monthly, typically at the end of the month. You can also print off a copy yourself. Use the link in the top right-hand corner of the Board’s home page to “Verify Credentials”. Enter your name in the search box. In the results there will be an icon to the far right of the line with your name. Clicking on this icon will open up a document that contains a letter indicating your standing with the Board and a copy of your certificate.
FAQ about the Exam
Question: How do I sign up to take the exam?
Answer: The NCASPPB uses the exams developed by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). The Exam is built into each Board’s application process. In North Carolina, you must be Registered with the Board to take the Exam.
The option to take the Exam will appear at different points within your application, depending on which credential you are seeking.
When the Exam Payment option appears in your LearningBuilder application, you will be able to pay the Exam fee and submit your application for Exam approval.
After our staff reviews the application, we will notify the testing company that you are ready to test, and you will get an email from the testing company to sign up for the exam.
The email will not be from the Board. The email will be from:
SMT Notice ([email protected]).
Question: What do I do if need special accommodations for the exam?
Answer: Please email Donna Strickland and request the ADA form and instructions.
Your medical doctor will complete the medical form, including your diagnosis and any accommodations you will need for the exam. You will complete the other page. You then email both pages of the completed form to Donna Strickland.
The Board will review the requests and, if approved, forward the accommodations request(s) to the exam provider. The testing company will contact you directly with available sites and dates that meet your accommodation request. That email will come from [email protected]. Again, make sure to check your junk email. Please note that if you need special accommodations, you WILL NOT receive an exam registration email but will schedule your exam directly with the exam provider.
Finally, the Board and the testing facility itself will do their best to meet your accommodation requests, but special accommodations should be reserved for persons with disabilities and severe medical issues. We cannot guarantee that we can honor requests for conditions such as test anxiety and lack of computer skills.
Question: Where can I find study materials for the exam?
Answer: Go to IC&RC’s website (http://internationalcredentialing.org), hover over Examinations on the orange bar, and then click on Exam Study Materials. You will find free resources that you can download as well as study guides that are for sale from approved third-party vendors.
Question: I have taken the test multiple times and cannot seem to pass it. What can I do?
Answer: Passage of the IC&RC Exam is a requirement written into state law.
This requirement cannot be waived by completing extra classes, working more hours, or by generally being a good person who is trying hard (Yes, the Board has heard all of these.)
It’s just a fact of life. Not everyone will pass the exam for licensure or certification.
Question: My Registration expired before I completed it. What do I do?
Answer: You are allowed two (2) Registration periods to complete the credentialing process. Each Registration period is 5 years. If your first Registration expires before you complete the full credential, you will need to start a new one. Please refer to our webpage on renewing your Registration for guidance (https://www.ncsappb.org/registration-renewal-information/).
FAQ for Supervisors
Question: Should I be concerned about liability for the actions of my supervisee?
Answer: Generally speaking, issues around supervisor liability are wildly exaggerated.
Generally speaking, for a supervisor to be liable for the unethical or illegal actions of a supervisee, the supervisor must be a willing participant or other responsible party for the supervisee’s action.
For example, if a supervisee gets charged with a DWI, are you liable? Unless you were the one that provided them the mind-altering substances and handed them the keys, then the answer is no.
For another example, are you liable if a supervisee has a sexual relationship with a client? Unless you were the one who helped arrange the first date, then probably not.
Question: How do I get a copy of the supervision contract with a supervisee?
Answer: The supervisee will need to get this for you. Within the supervisee’s application (or CADC renewal), they can click the “3 dots” icon and select View Contract. From this, the contract can be downloaded, saved, or printed.
Question: I have a client that is going to be in another state for a few weeks, can I continue to treat them over telehealth?
Answer: You need to contact the state Board associated with where the client is relocating, even if only temporarily. Our Board cannot tell another state Board to “let you practice,” you must get their permission, not ours.
Question: I have a new supervisee and they have previously completed work experience under another supervisor. Can I sign off on those hours?
Answer: Yes, but the decision is yours to make. It’s up to you to determine what proof you need to evidence the previously completed hours. Maybe your supervisee can provide you with documentation. Maybe you can communicate with the previous supervisor. Maybe you have worked with the supervisee for a little while and feel confident that they are accurately representing the time they have worked previously. Once you are satisfied, you can simply complete the supervision agreement and evaluation in LearningBuilder.
Question: Can a LCAS supervise an applicant?
Answer: No. An LCAS may only supervise fully certified CADC’s and CCJP’s.
Question: Can a LCAS-Associate supervise an applicant?
Answer: No.
Question: How do I end supervision or terminate a supervision agreement?
Answer: There are a couple of ways to do this.
Your supervisee can initiate it by clicking Request Evaluation. When you receive the email and complete the evaluation, you can click “Upload and End Supervision.” You may have to ask the supervisee to initiate this.
If the supervisee appears in your Supervision Dashboard, you may be able to access their Learning Plan (“application”) and terminate from there.
Otherwise, just email staff to terminate the connection.
Question: Why can I not see someone that should be on my supervisor dashboard list?Answer: Most often, the reason you do not see a supervisee on your supervision dashboard is because they have more than one supervisor active in their application. The software can only read one supervisor at a time.
This can also happen even if you are the only current supervisor.
An example of this would be if your supervisee is trying to get previous supervisors to provide evaluations for previously completed work; each time the previous supervisor provides an evaluation, the software will read them as the current supervisor, and remove them from your dashboard list.
Question: Can a LCAS supervise a CADC applicant?
Answer: No. An LCAS may only supervise a fully certified CADC or CCJP.
Question: What is the ongoing supervision ratio for CADCs?
Answer:
The on-going supervision levels are based on length of time certified and the ratios are as follows:
– First 2 year period – 1:40
– Second 2 year period – 1:80
– Third and all following periods – 1:160
FAQ for Renewals
Question: How many training/continuing education hours do I need to renew?
Answer:
Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC) – 60 clock hours
Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS) – 40 clock hours
Certified Prevention Specialist (PS) – 60 clock hours
Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP) – 60 clock hours
Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) – 15 clock hours
Question: How many of my required training/education hours can be online?
Answer: 100%.
Question: Can I use old trainings to get my training hours for my renewal?
Answer: No. All courses must have been completed during the dates of the renewal cycle in which you are wanting to use them. For example, if you credential is good from 1/1/2023 – 12/31/2024, you can ONLY use courses that were completed BETWEEN those dates.
Question: I’ve uploaded my CE hours, paid my fee, and my renewal was approved. I just logged in and all my classes are gone! What happened?
Answer: Take a look at the dates. Whenever your renewal is approved, it immediately creates a new renewal cycle. If you stop and think about it, you’re always living in a renewal cycle for your credential, not just the few months before when you’re scrambling around getting your hours together. Your renewal is the full 2-year cycle.
Question: What happens if I don’t renew my license prior to expiration? Will I lose my license and have to start over?
Answer: No, you do not have to start the process over. There is a built in 30-day grace period as far as any late fee so, if you renew within 30 days of the expiration, there is no late fee. After 30 days, you can still renew for up to 5 years, but there is a fee imposed. Please keep in mind that the grace period is only for the fee, not for the credential. If it expires, you cannot be practicing until it is brought back current. We are not able to grant extensions for renewals.
Question: I want to keep my CADC active but I’m not currently practicing in the field. Do I have to be supervised?Answer: No. However, you will need an LCAS to complete an ongoing supervision agreement in your renewal(s). Since you are not working in the SUD profession, there is no requirement to engage in supervision sessions. Besides, what would you be talking about?
Question: I uploaded my continuing education hours, paid the fee, and my renewal was approved. Now everything is missing! What happened?
Answer: Take a moment and look at the renewal dates. One way to think about it is this: you are always living in a renewal cycle, so when the Board approves your renewal, a new one opens up immediately for the following renewal cycle. Look at the date again, and you should see that you are looking at your next renewal.