How to Become a Substance Abuse Counselor in Virginia

Written by Sam Medley

In 2019, Inova Health Foundation, a nonprofit healthcare organization based in Falls Church, Virginia, launched its Act on Addiction campaign. The main goal of this initiative is to educate the northern Virginia community about addiction and connect people to recovery resources.

However, Act on Addiction’s 2023 survey shows that for many Virginians, getting help isn’t just a matter of finding the right resources. It’s about also getting the guidance they need to feel comfortable making use of those resources. According to the survey, about 33% of northern Virginians know someone battling a substance use disorder… while 46% said they’d be reluctant to seek help themselves even if they feel they need it.

By taking the steps to become a substance abuse counselor in Virginia, you can help countless people navigate the recovery process and ease the stigma around addiction. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to do it by becoming a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC).

Steps to Becoming Certified as a Substance Abuse Counselor in Virginia

When looking at how to become a substance abuse counselor in Virginia, you’ll find there’s two credentialing bodies operating in the state, one that’s a nonprofit professional association and the other a state government agency:

The Virginia Certification Board (VCB). The VCB is a private nonprofit organization that’s been certifying substance use disorder professionals in Virginia since 1988. Because the VCB is a member of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), it offers a collection of credentials recognized by state certification boards across the country.

OR
The Virginia Board of Counseling, often referred to as the Board offers credentials aligned with Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) standards. Headquartered in Virginia, the Board is a division of the Virginia Department of Health Professionals. As a government organization the three credential levels offered by the Board include a terminal license, granting a level of state legal authority in professional practice beyond what certification grants. All three credentials offered by the Board are recognized by employers and insurers operating throughout Virginia, making them the accepted standard for career-focused substance abuse counselors:
1. Certified Substance Abuse Counseling Assistant (CSAC-A)
2. Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC)
3. Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioners (LSATP)

When entering the field with the goal of becoming a professional substance abuse counselor, earning the Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) credential is the natural place to start.

While CSACs must work under the supervision of more experienced professionals, they’re involved in every step of treatment. As a CSAC, you could very well become one of those more experienced professionals yourself later in your career.

You’ll take these five steps to become a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) in Virginia:

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree to Meet Education Requirements

2. Register as a CSAC Supervisee

3. Complete 2,000 Hours of Supervised Residency

4. Complete Education Hours and Submit Your Application for Licensure

5. Pass the NAADAC’s National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level I Exam

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree to Meet Education Requirements

To become a CSAC in Virginia, the first thing you’ll have to do is earn a bachelor’s degree. While the degree can be in any field, you’ll need to complete 240 hours of education related to substance use disorders.

For that reason, if you’re just getting started and don’t have a degree yet, the natural path would to earn your bachelor’s in addiction studies, substance use disorder counseling, or a related field.

The Board requires that your education include no less than 16 hours across 13 specific domains:

Dynamics of human behavior
Symptoms of substance abuse disorders
Counseling theory
Case management and the continuum of care
Relapse prevention and the recovery process
Ethics and professional responsibilities
Pharmacology
Crisis intervention and trauma
Co-occurring disorders
Cultural awareness and competency
Treatment planning and approaches to substance use disorder counseling
Counseling in group settings
Screening, assessment, and prevention

Already Have a Degree in Another Field? Here’s Some Other Ways To Earn the 240 Education Hours You Need to Become a CSAC

While you can earn all or at least the bulk of your education hours through a degree program, that’s not your only option. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, then you technically meet the degree requirement and only need to complete the 240 hours of substance use disorder counseling education, which you can do through any number of pre-approved organizations.

Board-approved education providers in Virginia include the:

American Counseling Association.
American Psychological Association.
National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC).
Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.
National Association of Social Workers.
National Board for Certified Counselors.
Government organizations including public school systems and health facilities.

Organizations affiliated with these agencies are also typically approved. If you’re unsure, you can contact the Board for clarification.

Whether you’re completing your 240 hours through a degree in substance use disorder counseling or one of the approved training providers, you’ll need to have at least half (120 hours) complete before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Register as a CSAC Supervisee

Once you’ve completed 120 education hours, you’re almost ready for the most exciting part of the CSAC certification process: the supervised residency experience. But before starting supervision, you’ll need to register as a supervisee.

On the Board’s supervisee application form, you’ll be asked to provide:

A $65 application fee.
Official transcripts and certificates of completion for any training you’ve completed.
Information regarding any criminal cases, convictions, or ethical investigations against you.
Information about your supervisor and where you’ll complete your supervised experience.

It typically takes the Board about 30 days to review applications for approval.

Finding a Supervisor

Finding a supervisor effectively means finding a job or internship as a CSAC candidate. It’s standard practice for local employers to hire for trainee or internship positions with the goal of fostering CSAC candidates through the supervised period required to become certified. In Virginia, this is referred to as a residency, similar to what you’d find in advanced healthcare professions. The residency represents the beginning of what often becomes a longterm career with that employer.

You may develop relationships with area employers throughout Virginia as part of the field experience you get in your bachelor’s program. It’s not uncommon for this to lead to residency positions.

Otherwise, you can check the Board’s supervisor database. But no matter where you find a supervisor, they’ll need to meet specific qualifications set forth by the Board.

Your supervisor can be a:

Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner.
CSAC with two years of experience
Licensed behavioral health professional such as a licensed clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, or professional counselor with substance use disorder training.
Substance abuse professional certified by a national board such as the IC&RC or the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC).

Your supervisor also needs to have completed supervisor training to qualify.

Step 3: Complete 2,000 Hours of Supervised Residency

During your 2,000-hour residency, you’ll learn how to apply what you learn in class to real-life situations. Your supervisor will guide you every step of the way. According to the Board, your residency should take no less than one year and no more than five years to complete.

While almost anything you do as a counselor-in-training can count towards the 2,000-hour requirement, the Board requires that you spend at least eight in each of the following tasks under the supervision of your supervisor:

Screening clients
Performing intake duties such as initial assessments
Performing client orientation including helping them establish goals and explaining costs
Performing in-depth client assessments of clients needs, strengths, and weaknesses
Planning treatment with the client and prioritizing their needs
Providing individual and group counseling
Carrying out case management duties such as bringing different resources together for your clients
Planning and performing crisis intervention measures
Educating clients about substance use disorders and the resources available to them
Referring clients to other professionals
Recordkeeping
Consulting with other professionals

You won’t always be working under the direct supervision of your supervisor, rather general supervision is standard. You’ll need to work directly with your supervisor for between one and four hours for every 40 total hours of work experience. By the end of residency, you’ll need a total of 100 hours working directly with your supervisor. This ensures your supervisor can make a fair assessment of your professional development and offer insightful guidance.

Step 4: Complete Education Hours and Submit Your Application for Licensure

Once you’ve completed all experience and education hours, you’ll submit an online application to the Board with a $115 fee. You’ll be asked to include verification forms for your supervised residency and education. If you haven’t already submitted official college transcripts, you’ll do that in this step.

It takes the Board about 30 days to review and process applications. Once your application is approved, they’ll send you information regarding the next step: registering for your final exam.

Step 5: Pass the NAADAC’s National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level I Exam

The Board uses an exam administered by the NAADAC, one of the nation’s leading counselor certification organizations. Their National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level I Exam (NCAC I Exam) is widely recognized and used to certify new substance use disorder counselors all over the country.

The NCAC I Exam is made up 150 multiple choice questions about nine topics:

Admissions including intake, screening, and orientation
Clinical assessment
Treatment planning
Individual, family, and group counseling including education and crisis intervention
Recordkeeping
Case management
Discharge planning and continuing care services
Legal and ethical responsibilities as well as professional development
The psychopharmacology and physiology of substance use disorders

You’ll have three hours to complete your exam. You can schedule it for the time and place that’s most convenient but you’ll have to take it at an approved testing site. Fortunately, there are sites all over Virginia including many around Washington, DC, as well as in Richmond, Fredericksburg, Roanoke, Abingdon, and Norfolk. The exam fee is $150. Prep materials can be found on the NAADAC’s test information webpage.

Receiving your CSAC Certification

It usually takes the Board two to four weeks to receive exam scores. Once they do, they’ll approve your CSAC certification status and mail you a copy of your certificate in about a week. At that point, you’ll be ready to carry out your new duties, helping people find hope in recovery.

With a Master’s Degree and More Experience Comes Advanced Certification Options

After becoming a CSAC in Virginia, you can find new career opportunities by gaining experience, pursuing a master’s degree, and earning more advanced counseling credentials through the Board of Counseling.

Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (LSATP). While LSATPs are trained to handle more complex cases, they can also operate their own independent practices. Becoming an LSATP might also be a good option if you want to pursue high-level administrative positions.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Like LSATPs, LPCs can run private counseling practices. But in addition to providing substance use disorder treatment, LPCs can also diagnose and treat any number of mental health disorders.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). MFTs are experts in family and relationship dynamics. Pursuing this license can help you learn how to serve clients directly and indirectly affected by substance use disorders.

Substance Abuse Counselor Jobs in Richmond, Norfolk, and Throughout Virginia

When it’s time to look for jobs, Richmond might be a good place to start. The city is home to the McShin Foundation, one of Virginia’s largest treatment providers, and Virginia Recovery Centers, a provider with locations in Richmond and Mechanicsville.

Outside of Richmond, Norfolk and its surrounding communities are homes to large recovery networks. For example, Landmark Recovery, a nationwide treatment provider, has a location in Norfolk. Nearby Portsmouth is home to clinics like Safe Harbor which provides multiple types of specialized care at its three locations.

To find more substance use disorder counselor jobs in Virginia, you may want to investigate:

The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services: a state-run agency that operates community service boards across the state that provide recovery services.
The Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia: a coalition of substance use disorder professionals and organizations that runs a number of outreach and advocacy programs.
HCA Virginia Health System: one of the state’s largest healthcare provider systems that offers recovery services at multiple locations.
The Virginia Association of Addiction Professionals: a statewide professional counselor organization that partners with treatment providers all over the state.

Substance Abuse Counselor Salary in Richmond, Norfolk, and Throughout Virginia

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), substance abuse counselors in Virginia make a median salary of $54,590 as of May 2023, with more experienced professionals in the top ten percent making $80,150 and up.

Richmond. As of May 2023, the BLS says substance abuse counselors in Richmond make a median salary of $53,800. Early-career counselors in the area often make about $35,720. The most highly-paid counselors in Richmond make around $77,770.
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News. In the Newport metro, counselors make a median wage of $53,650 as of May 2023. While new counselors often make around $40,090, their more experienced colleagues make around $76,340.

Substance Abuse Counselor Degree Options in Virginia

When you’re ready to prepare for your career as a CSAC in Virginia, there are many schools across the state that can help. For example, Northern Virginia, Southside Virginia, and Southwest Virginia Community Colleges all have certificate programs that help students meet their educational and practicum hour requirements. These certificates can be earned in about a year to a year and a half.

If you’re looking for online options, Old Dominion University in Norfolk offers an Addiction Prevention and Treatment Certificate. Similarly, Liberty University offers an online BS in Psychology — Addictions and Recovery.

Liberty University

School of Behavioral Science
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Online

Bachelor's Degrees

Master's Degrees

Northern Virginia Community College

Languages, Arts and Social Sciences Division
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus

Undergraduate Certificates

Old Dominion University

Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, Department of Counseling and Human Services
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus, Online

Undergraduate Certificates

Bachelor's Degrees

Patrick and Henry Community College

Transfer Studies and Education
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus

Undergraduate Certificates

Southside Virginia Community College

Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus

Undergraduate Certificates

Southwest Virginia Community College

Public Service and Safety
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus, Online

Undergraduate Certificates

Associate Degrees

Virginia Commonwealth University

School of Medicine
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus

Master's Degrees

Graduate Certificates

William & Mary

School of Education
Accreditation: SACSCOC
Campus

Master's Degrees

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2024.