A 2023 deep-dive investigation conducted by NPR affiliate, Wyoming Public Media, looked into the unique circumstances contributing to Wyoming’s drug crisis. For locals, there were few surprises.
Despite the fact that data on substance use is notoriously hard to pin down in small communities where deadly overdoses don’t always end up logged in national registries, the limited data coming out of Wyoming isn’t good. In 2022 alone, 93 people here died from drug overdoses, and 48 of those involved fentanyl. Data from the CDC shows that in 2021, Fremont, Uinta, Carbon, and Sweetwater counties had the highest overdose mortality rates. The cities of Laramie and Casper were’t immune from these kinds of tragedies either.
According to the Wyoming Department of Health, as of 2022, Wyoming’s most problematic substances in terms of overdose deaths were:
- Opioids – associated with 63% of overdose deaths
- Stimulants – associated with 36% of overdose deaths
- Benzos – associated with 12% of overdose deaths
Like so many other places in America, the opioid crisis has hit hard in Wyoming. If your life experiences have put you in a position to brush up against the crisis, then you know this all too well. There’s a good chance that’s exactly what brought you here looking for information on how you can become a substance abuse counselor in Wyoming, known here as Certified Addiction Practitioners (CAP) and Licensed Addictions Therapists (LAT). If that’s your story, then you’ve come to the right place.
Steps to Becoming Certified as a Substance Abuse Counselor in Wyoming
Becoming an addiction counselor in Wyoming involves becoming credentialed at the state level through the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (MHPLB).
The Certified Addiction Practitioner (CAP) credential is a natural place to set your sights when getting started. Before we get into the process of becoming a CAP, it’s worth taking a look at the other credentials the MHPLB offers:
- Certified Addictions Practitioner Assistant (CAPA) – This credential is for those with an associate degree in addictions counseling or a related field. Career prospects, scope of practice, and salary are limited when compared to those of a CAP.
- Provisional Addictions Therapist (PAT) – This credential allows you to gain supervised work experience to qualify for the LAT. It requires a master’s degree in a relevant field.
- Licensed Addictions Therapist (LAT) – This credential allows you to engage in addiction therapy independently without supervision and requires a relevant master’s degree. With additional qualifications you can also serve as a supervisor.
Taking a step back and looking at these credentials broadly, you can see the MHPLB has progressive credentials designed for candidates at every level of education.
In this guide we’re focusing on the Certified Addiction Practitioner (CAP) credential because it puts you in an ideal spot, both to start working as an addiction counselor sooner, while also positioning you with room to grow if you want to level up your credentials later to become a Licensed Addictions Therapist (LAT). As a CAP you’ll be able to enter the addictions counseling field mid-level with a bachelor’s degree.
CAPs work under general supervision with a scope of practice that includes:
- Counseling, psychotherapy, and similar addiction therapies
- Addressing cognitive and behavioral disorders that arise from chemical dependency, addiction, and substance abuse
- Serving populations that include individuals, groups, organizations, schools, and families
- Engaging in addiction prevention, crisis intervention, diagnosis, referral, and direct treatment
Becoming a Certified Addiction Practitioner (CAP) involves following these steps:
1. Earn a Qualifying Bachelor’s Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling
2. Complete a Period of Supervised Experience (Applicable Only If Your Bachelor’s Was in Something Other Than Addictions Counseling)
3. Pass Either the NCAC II Exam or the AADC Exam
4. Apply with the MHPLB to Become a Certified Addiction Professional (CAP)
Step 1. Earn a Qualifying Bachelor’s Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling
In Wyoming, you can meet the education qualifications for CAP certification in one of four ways:
1) Bachelor’s in Addiction Therapy – Qualifying on the basis of education and examination alone requires you to earn the right kind of degree with the right blend of coursework. That means earning a bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university in addiction therapy specifically. This is the most streamlined path, saving you the trouble of having to take any post-bachelor’s graduate courses in addictions therapy. It also means skipping two entire years of pre-professional supervised experience.
2) Bachelor’s in Human Services or Behavioral Science + an Associate or Higher Degree in Addictions Accredited by the National Addictions Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) – This non standard path would involve earning an NASAC-accredited associate degree, then going on to complete a bachelor’s from a regionally or nationally accredited institution in a related major such as:
- Chemical Dependency
- Addictionology
- Counseling
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology
3) Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or Behavioral Science + Specific Coursework in Core Areas – If your degree isn’t specifically in addiction therapy and you didn’t earn a NASAC-accredited associate degree, you’ll need to verify that you completed some of the following courses as part of your bachelor’s. Any courses that weren’t covered in your undergraduate program can be taken through a graduate certificate or master’s program. Those courses must include:
- Three semester credits in each of the following:
- Counseling theories
- Counseling skills
- Practicum in addictions/chemical dependency counseling
- Counseling ethics
- A total of 10 semester credits covering these five topics:
- Alcoholism
- Drugs and behavior
- Addictions/chemical dependency and special populations
- Addictive behaviors
- Addictions/chemical dependency assessment
- One semester credit or 15 contact hours of training in communicable diseases.
4) National Certification Through the NAADAC – Association for Addiction Professionals – The requirements for NAADAC’s National Certified Addictions Counselor Level II (NCAC II) exceed Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (MHPLB) standards, with eligibility requirements that include a bachelor’s degree plus at least three years of supervised clinical experience and 450 hours of education and training in addiction and substance use disorder counseling.
Step 2. Complete a Period of Supervised Experience (Applicable Only If Your Bachelor’s Was in Something Other Than Addictions Counseling)
If you hold a bachelor’s degree in addictions therapy specifically, you can skip to step 3!
If you earned a bachelor’s in any human services or behavioral science major other than addictions therapy, you have one more significant step to take. You’ll need to gain a full two years (2,000 hours) of supervised and documented clinical experience as a Certified Addictions Practitioner Assistant (CAPA) or equivalent credentialed professional.
You’ll be gaining this experience under the guidance of a Licensed Addictions Therapist (LAT) or other advanced mental health professional, such as a psychologist, physician, clinical social worker, or professional counselors. The Wyoming MHPLB refers to professionals with the specialty credentials to provide this service as Designated Qualified Clinical Supervisors (DQCS).
To qualify for the CAPA credential, you cannot be credentialed or be an exam candidate in another state, and you must hold an associate degree in addictionology, chemical dependency, substance use disorder counseling, or similar concentration. If you meet those requirements, you can submit an application for Certified Addictions Practitioner Assistant (CAPA) recognition to the Board.
With those qualifications met and you CAPA credential granted, you can begin looking for an employer willing to bring you in as an intern for a period, or otherwise hire you on and document your progress toward gaining the experience required to earn the CAP credential. This is a standard arrangement among employers that hire substance abuse professionals in Wyoming. A search of local job ads will reveal no shortage of positions that involve supervision agreements in exchange for your pledge to become credentialed within a given time frame.
Your bachelor’s degree will do a lot for you here. Employers see that you’ve already invested significantly in a relevant education and are well positioned to qualify for your CAP credential.
The supervised experience needs to be completed over a minimum of two years, and over a period no longer than five years.
Step 3. Apply with the MHPLB to Become a Certified Addiction Professional (CAP)
With your bachelor’s degree in hand, and supervised experience documented, as needed, you can then submit your Certified Addiction Professional (CAP) application along with all supporting documentation directly to the MHPLB.
The school through which you completed your degree must send your official transcripts to the MHPLB.
You’ll notice the application is referred to as CAP by Examination. That’s because passing a national qualifying exam represents the last significant step toward earning CAP certification.
Once the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (MHPLB) determines your CAP application is complete it will send you instructions on how to register for the exam of your choice.
Step 4. Pass Either the NCAC II Exam or the AADC Exam
NCAC II Exam
Sponsored by the Association for Addition Professionals, the NAADAC-affiliated National Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (NCAC II) Exam is offered at Kryterion testing centers, which has one location in Casper.
You’ll have three hours to complete 150 multiple-choice questions that are divided among these subjects:
- Treatment process orientation – 14%
- Professional practices – 17%
- Assessment – 23%
- Addiction counseling skills and practices – 23%
- Implementation and ongoing treatment planning – 23%
The NCAC II covers these nine topic areas:
- Treatment admission
- Psychopharmacology and physiology
- Clinical assessment
- Law, ethics, and professional growth
- Treatment planning
- Continuing care and discharge
- Counseling services
- Case management
- Documentation
AADC Exam
Sponsored by the IC&RC (International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium), the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) Exam is offered via computer at ISO-Quality Testing centers, which has locations in both Casper and Cheyenne.
The AADC is 150 multiple-choice questions which you’ll have three hours to complete. The four general categories you’ll be tested on are:
- Referral, treatment planning, and collaboration – 18%
- Assessment, screening, and engagement – 23%
- Counseling and education – 28%
- Professional and ethical responsibilities – 31%
After you pass your exam the MHPLB will get your score report and issue your CAP license.
With a Master’s Degree and More Experience Comes Advanced Certification Options
Addictions counseling is a calling and many choose to make it a career. If this sounds like you then you can opt to eventually become a Licensed Addictions Therapist (LAT), which will allow you to engage in your counseling practice independently without supervision.
Qualifying for the LAT means earning a master’s or higher degree in substance abuse, chemical dependency, one of the healing arts, or addictionology. You can also qualify with a graduate degree in another related field provided you can meet specific coursework requirements as defined by MHPLB.
Beyond the graduate degree, you’ll need to:
- Document 3,000 hours of supervised work experience as a Provisional Addictions Therapist (PAT) over a period of no less than 18 months and no more than three years. With a qualifying master’s degree, you can submit an application for Provisional Addictions Therapist (PAT) certification, and begin documenting your practice hours under the supervision of a Designated Qualified Clinical Supervisor (DQCS).
- Complete one of three qualifying exams:
- The Association for Addictions Professionals (NAADAC), NCAC Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) exam
- National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) exam
- International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC)
- Submit your Licensed Addiction Therapist application along with supporting documents.
Eventually, you can go on to become a Designated Qualified Clinical Supervisor (DQCS) yourself after two years of LAT experience (or four years of post-graduate professional experience as an ADC), and the completion of either a graduate-level course in clinical supervision or three hours of continuing education in supervision.
Substance Abuse Counselor Jobs in Cheyenne and Throughout Wyoming
Of the 820 certified and licensed substance abuse counselors working throughout Wyoming, about a third work in rural western Wyoming. A little less than a quarter work in Casper, another quarter are found in the rural eastern portion of the state each, and 18% work in Cheyenne.
Foundations Counseling and Consulting based in Cheyenne has seen the ravages of the opioid epidemic up close. This is just one example of the kind of organizations trying to turn the tide in Wyoming, employing dedicated Certified Addiction Practitioners and Licensed Addiction Therapists to offer substance abuse treatment through outpatient and intensive inpatient programs, aftercare, and a marijuana diversion program for court-ordered first-time offenders.
Substance Abuse Counselor Salary in Wyoming
At $66,430, Wyoming ranks sixth in the nation in terms of highest average salary for substance abuse counselors. That’s up 62% from just four years ago, which is the kind of dramatic increase that can only be driven by intense demand for properly credentialed CAPs and LATs.
Western Wyoming does even better, ranking fifth among rural areas in the nation with the highest average substance abuse counselor salaries, coming in at $68,160 as of 2023.
Statewide, high earners in the 75th percentile made $83,450 that year, while salaries among the top ten percent of Wyoming’s substance abuse counselors came in at $104,000 or more.
How Much Do Substance Abuse Counselors Make in Cheyenne
- Average – $66,430
- 75th percentile – $83,450
- 90th percentile – $102,420
How Much Do Substance Abuse Counselors Make in Casper
- Average – $64,130
- 75th percentile – $76,140
- 90th percentile – $103,340
Substance Abuse Counselor Degree Options in Wyoming
Wyoming has two schools that offer undergraduate certificates and associate degree programs in addictions treatment. Notably, the Casper College associate program in addiction studies is even accredited by the prominent National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC).
You’ll also find no shortage of online programs at the bachelor’s and master’s level available in Wyoming.
Casper College
Accreditation: HLC
Campus, Online
Undergraduate Certificates
- Addiction Studies Certificate
Associate Degrees
- AS in Addiction Studies
Northern Wyoming Community College District
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Accreditation: HLC
Campus, Online
Undergraduate Certificates
- Addictions Practitioner Certificate
Associate Degrees
- AA in Human Services-Addictions Practitioner concentration
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. Job growth projections 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 June 2024.