Frequently Asked Questions

Definitions and Terminology

What is an agency affiliated counselor?: “Agency affiliated counselor” (AAC) means a person registered, certified, or licensed under this chapter who is employed by an agency or is a student intern, as defined by the department. Below you will find the ‘Three Types of Credentials’ that explain the distinctions between registered AACs, certified AACs, and licensed AACs.
What is the definition of an agency?: An agency or facility operated, licensed, or certified by the state of Washington, a Washington state county, or a federally recognized Indian tribe located within the state. Agency affiliated counselors must be a direct employee of an approved agency.
What is the definition of a peer counselor practicing as an agency affiliated counselor?: A peer counselor practicing as an agency affiliated counselor is a person who is engaged in peer counseling, and who is employed by an agency, county or federally recognized tribe. They must be registered as an AAC under chapter 18.19 RCW and may need to be a certified peer counselor with Health Care Authority under certain conditions. The agency affiliated counselor registration and HCA certification are required for those who provide Medicaid-billable services at an agency. Effective July 1, 2025, peers practicing as a registered agency affiliated counselor may apply for the peer specialist credential.
What is the definition of a student intern practicing as an agency affiliated counselor?: A student intern practicing as an agency affiliated counselor is a person who is currently enrolled in a college or university counseling program and who is working in an agency, county, or federally recognized tribe in order to earn experience toward graduation requirements. Student interns practice as registered AACs.
What is the co-occurring disorder specialist enhancement?: The co-occurring disorder specialist is an enhancement available to be added to the licensed AAC credential. The co-occurring enhancement webpage contains more information about how to apply for the enhancement.
What is the definition of a mental health professional (MHP) and how do you qualify?: Mental health professional (MHP) is an umbrella term used to refer to individuals who hold a credential allowing them to perform behavioral health assessments, diagnoses, and make certain behavioral health recommendations and decisions. To qualify, individuals must have one of the listed credentials in RCW 71.05.020 (40) to be considered an MHP. Designation as an MHP is no longer an option.

Three Types of Credentials

What are the new credentials and the three types of agency affiliated counselors?

There are three types of the agency affiliated counselor credential. Legislation that was passed in 2023 created a certified AAC and a licensed AAC credential with additional education and experience requirements.

“Registered agency affiliated counselor” (RAAC) means a person registered under chapter 18.19 who is engaged in counseling to the extent authorized under (section 18). This includes juvenile probation counselors who are employees of the juvenile court under RCW 13.04.035 and 13.04.040 and juvenile court employees providing functional family therapy, aggression replacement training, or other evidence-based programs approved by the Department of Children, Youth and Families. A student intern, as defined by the department, may be a registered agency affiliated counselor. Peer counselors may practice as registered agency affiliated counselors until January 2027, when they are required to obtain the new certified peer specialist credential.
“Certified agency affiliated counselor” (CAAC) means a person certified under chapter 18.19 who is engaged in counseling to the extent authorized in (section 18). The certified AAC credential requires a bachelor's degree in counseling or the social sciences and five years of supervised experience. Certified AACs can provide a preliminary mental health assessment and diagnosis that must be reviewed by a MHP that can independently provide mental health assessments and diagnosis.
“Licensed agency affiliated counselor” (LAAC) means a person licensed under chapter 18.19 who is engaged in counseling to the extent authorized in (section 18). The licensed AAC requires a master’s degree in counseling or the social sciences and two years of supervised experience. Licensed AACs can assess and diagnose independently as a part of their scope of practice.

How do I transfer my registered AAC into a certified or licensed AAC?

You are not able to transfer a registered AAC credential into one of the new credentials, you will need to apply for the new credential. We will need your official transcripts to confirm you meet the educational requirements and you will need to pay the fee as well.

Does the experience need to be done in a behavioral health agency (BHA)?

The experience needs to be earned under a DOH credential, but it does not have to be in a BHA. If the applicant earned their experience as an agency affiliated counselor, then the experience needs to be done in an approved agency. However, if the experience was obtained under an advanced degree then it could have been earned under an independent practice credential, such as the mental health counselor associate license.

Which degrees qualify as one of the social sciences?

The certified AAC and licensed AAC require a degree in counseling or one of the social sciences. The following degrees qualify as social sciences, but are not limited to:

Anthropology
Communications studies
Criminal justice
Economics
Ethnic studies
Gender, women, and sexuality studies
Human development
Human services
International relations
Law, societies and justice
Philosophy
Political science
Psychology
Sociology

What are the coursework requirements to be a certified AAC?

Starting July 1, 2025, applicants for the certified agency affiliated counselor credential must have counseling-related coursework as outlined below.

Applicants may meet the certified agency affiliated counselor coursework requirements by completing one of the following pathways:

Have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or behavioral healthcare; or
Complete at least four courses from two knowledge areas specified below:
- Human behavior and counseling
- Justice in society
- Cultural competence

What are the coursework requirements to be a licensed AAC?

Applicants may meet the licensed agency affiliated counselor coursework requirements by completing one of the following pathways:

Have an assessment and diagnosis course and either an individual counseling course, group counseling course, or couple and family counseling course; or
Complete at least five courses from the list below:

Assessment and diagnosis
Counseling couples and families
Counseling groups
Counseling individuals
Career development counseling
Chronic mental illness
Developmental disabilities
Developmental psychology
- Child
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Lifespan
Domestic violence
Ethics and law
Group dynamics

Learning disabilities
Mental health consultation
Multicultural considerations in counseling
Organizational psychology
Physiological psychology
Psychopathology or abnormal psychology
Research and evaluation
Sexuality and lifestyle choices
Social and cultural foundations
Substance use disorders
Treating special populations

What types of courses would fit in each knowledge area for certified AAC coursework requirements?

Examples of courses for each knowledge area include, but not limited to, those listed below:

Human behavior and counseling: counseling, psychology, applied behavior science, social work, social welfare, behavioral health care, human development

Justice in society: ethics, political science, philosophy, criminal justice, social justice, public affairs

Cultural competence: communications, gender studies, human services, ethnic studies, history of culture(s), sociology

Can I use coursework from a bachelor’s degree to count for licensed AAC coursework?

No, coursework from a bachelor's degree will not be accepted towards meeting coursework requirements for the licensed AAC credential.

Can I use coursework from an uncompleted degree to count for Licensed AAC coursework if I already have a graduate degree?

No, the coursework must be included within the degree program you are using to qualify for the credential.

Can I apply for a certified AAC or licensed AAC credential before the coursework requirements are determined?

Yes, you can apply for the certified AAC and licensed AAC before the coursework requirements have been determined, but if you do not meet the degree or supervised experience requirements for the credential before July 1, 2025, you will need to satisfy the coursework requirements.

What is the legacy provision provided for existing mental health professional (MHP) agency affiliated counselors?

The rules were drafted with a legacy provision to allow individuals who were previously working as an AAC and designated as an MHP to obtain the credential without having to meet the additional coursework requirements. The legacy provision expires on July 1, 2027, and after that date, all applicants will need to meet the coursework requirements.

Will I need to meet the new coursework requirements if I already have an active Certified AAC or Licensed AAC credential?

No. Individuals who obtain the certified AAC or licensed AAC prior to the coursework requirements being established in rule do not need to meet the coursework requirements.

Application Process

When do I need to submit my application?: You can apply for the agency affiliated counselor credentials as soon as you have an offer of employment from an approved agency. An application must be received by the department within 30 days of employment for the applicant to be able to work while it is being processed.
May I provide counseling or services while my agency affiliated counselor credential is being processed?: Yes. Per WAC 246-810-015 if you apply for this credential within 30 days of employment, you may provide counseling or services within the scope of practice for the AAC credential for which you applied, while your application is processed. The department will review the application and if further information is required it will issue a letter listing the deficiencies. The applicant will have 90 days from the date of the deficiency letter to provide all necessary documentation. If the required documentation is not received by the department within 90 days, the applicant must stop working until the credential is issued.
May I provide unsupervised counseling or services while the credential is pending?: No, you may not provide unsupervised counseling or services until the completion of a criminal background check by either your employer or the department. "Unsupervised" means the supervisor is not physically present at the location where the counseling occurs.
If I’m an agency affiliated counselor at an approved agency and I obtain a second job at another approved agency, do I need to complete another "Employment/Student Verification" form?: Yes. WAC 246-810-018 states agency affiliated counselors must notify the department within 30 calendar days if they're no longer employed by the agency identified on their application, or are now employed with another agency, or both. You must complete another employment verification form (PDF) with your new employment facility information and title description. You do not need to complete another application or pay an additional fee. Agency affiliated counselors may not practice counseling unless they are employed by an agency.

Approved Agencies

I work for an agency that has a business license in the state of Washington. Will my employer's business license by itself qualify me to register as an agency affiliated counselor?: No, your employer's business license by itself doesn't meet the standard to employ agency affiliated counselors. Your employer should review WAC 246-810-017 on becoming recognized to employ agency affiliated counselors.
How can an agency obtain a license or certification as an agency or facility to employ agency affiliated counselors?: WAC 246-810-016 lists the agencies or facilities that may employ agency affiliated counselors. Most of these agencies or facilities are credentialed by the Department of Health or the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). You will need to contact the appropriate agency to obtain the credentialing requirements.
What if an agency does not qualify for licensure or certification listed in WAC 246-810-016 or recognized by the secretary of health?: Agencies or facilities must provide documentation such as a certificate from the licensing agency that the agency is licensed, operated or certified by the state to provide specific counseling services. Agencies that don't provide this documentation may not employ agency affiliated counselors.
Can I be employed by a staffing agency as an agency affiliated counselor and be affiliated with an approved agency to practice?: No, the agency affiliated counselor must be a direct employee of an approved agency.

Supervised Experience

How does the department verify my supervised experience? Is it by the number of hours or just years? Will I need to contact all my supervisors to verify the time?: The department is not looking at hours, we are looking at the months/years an individual was working under supervision. Applicants will not need to contact their previous supervisors; the application has an attestation for the times and location where they earned their experience.
When do supervised experience hours start accruing?: For certified and licensed agency affiliated counselors, supervised experience hours start accruing once the applicant’s degree is completed. If the educational program contains an internship and/or practicum, those hours can also be counted as supervised experience hours.
Can out-of-state supervised experience count towards supervised experience?: Out-of-state supervised experience hours may count towards supervised experience as long as it was after the applicant's degree was completed and they held a credential to practice in that state.
What if I didn’t need a credential to do counseling work when I obtained my supervised experience?: Supervised experience obtained without a credential to practice counseling will not be accepted towards meeting the credential requirements, unless that supervised experience was completed as part of the applicant’s degree program like an internship or practicum.

Student Interns

Is an intern required to apply for an agency affiliated counselor registration?: Student interns are not required to apply for the agency affiliated counselor registration. Students enrolled in an educational program are exempt from credentialing requirements per RCW 18.19.040. However, the agency may require them to be registered to satisfy a condition of an internship or practicum.
What is the duration of the credential for a student intern practicing as an agency affiliated counselor issued for and is the credential renewable?: An agency affiliated counselor who is a student intern will be issued a credential that will expire on their birthdate. If the credential is issued and the birthdate is less than 90 days after issuance date, they will need to renew on their next birthday. The credential will expire annually on the applicant's birthday and is renewable if they are still practicing as part of the internship or practicum or are an employee of the agency.
What if the agency wants to hire a student intern as an agency affiliated counselor after the internship or practicum ends?: If they currently hold an agency affiliated counselor registration, they will need to submit a new Employment/Student Verification form changing their status from Student to Employee. If they don't hold the agency affiliated counselor credential, then they would need to apply for the registration.