Exam and Schedules

Exam and Schedules

Acceptable Exams

The Department of Health accepts either the:

• National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) level 1 or higher, or the
• International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (ICRC), the Alcohol Drug Counselor (ADC), or the Advanced Alcohol Drug Counselor (AADC) exam is acceptable to get a substance use disorder professional certification. Note the ICRC exam is not available in Washington state, however it is eligible for individuals licensed in other states where this exam may be required.

Approval Process

Applicants must complete and submit the full application to the department for review. Once we approve the applicant's education and supervised experience, we will send notification via email to the applicant with instructions on how to register for the exam. Approval from the Department of Health is only for the NAADAC examination, the ICRC exam is not available to take in Washington state.

If you attended a NAADAC-approved academic program and are requesting approval to sit for the exam before completing the supervised hours, you'll need to contact your school for approval.