State Licensure Requirements
Liberty does not meet education requirements.

Addiction Counseling – Maryland

Licensed Graduate Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LGADC)

Applicants must have a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university approved by the Board in a health and human services counseling field with a minimum of 48 graduate semester credit hours or 72 graduate quarter credit hours including the following:

(1) A 3-semester credit hour or 5 quarter credit hour course taken at a regionally accredited educational institution in each of the following courses:

  • Medical aspects of chemical dependency (pharmacology);
  • Addictions treatment delivery;
  • Ethics that includes alcohol and drug counseling issues;
  • Abnormal psychology;
  • Group counseling; and
  • Individual counseling; and

(2) Any three of the following 3 semester credit hours or 5 quarter credit hour courses:

  • Family counseling;
  • Theories of counseling;
  • Human development;
  • Topics in substance related addictive disorders;
  • Treatment of co-occurring disorders; and

(3) An internship in alcohol and drug counseling of 6 semester credit hours, or a minimum of 1000 hours of alcohol and drug counseling work completed under and verified by a Board-approved supervisor; and

(4) 3 graduate semester credit hours in the following:

  • Personality development;
  • Diagnosis and psychopathology; and
  • Psychotherapy and treatment of mental and emotional disorders.

Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC)

Applicants must hold a 60-semester credit (90 quarter credit) master’s degree or higher in a Health or Human Services counseling field from a regionally accredited college/university OR hold a master’s degree judged by the Board to be substantially equivalent in subject matter and training. Applicants must have the required 39 credits of alcohol and drug counseling coursework and 12 credits of required graduate coursework that must include ALL the following:

(1) 3 semester credit (5 quarter credit) courses below:

  • Medical aspects of chemical dependency (pharmacology);
  • Addictions treatment delivery;
  • Ethics that includes alcohol and drug counseling issues;
  • Group counseling;
  • Individual counseling;
  • Abnormal psychology;
  • Family counseling;
  • Theories of counseling;
  • Human development;
  • Topics in substance related and addictive disorder;
  • Treatment of co-occurring disorders

(2) AND 6 semester credits (10 quarter credits) in an alcohol and drug internship/practicum/field placement.

(3) AND the following graduate level courses (in addition to the required 39 credits):

  • Personality Development;
  • Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental and Emotional Disorder;
  • Psychopathology;
  • Psychotherapy

For more information:

https://health.maryland.gov/bopc/Pages/ad.aspx

https://health.maryland.gov/bopc/Documents/apps/LGADCApp.pdf

https://health.maryland.gov/bopc/Documents/apps/LCADCApp.pdf