IC&RC Reciprocity for Addiction Counselors: How the Transfer Actually Works

Addiction counselors have something professional counselors only recently got: an established system for taking a credential with them when they move. The International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) has member boards across the 50 states and territories, three Native American regions, the military branches and 11 international regions, and its reciprocity process lets a credential issued by one member board be recognized by another.

It is useful. It is also narrower than many counselors assume, and the details below come from IC&RC's own reciprocity page and credential standards.

What does reciprocity cover?

IC&RC sets minimum standards for a family of credentials, including the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC), the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC), the Clinical Supervisor (CS), the Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP), Prevention Specialist and the Peer Recovery credentials. Your state board issues the credential under its own name. In one state it might be called a CADC, in another an LCADC or an LCAS, but if the board issues it at the IC&RC reciprocal level, it can be transferred.

The key limit, in IC&RC's words: reciprocal credentials are only reciprocal with member boards that offer that same credential at a reciprocal level. IC&RC's own example: a Prevention Specialist credential from Pennsylvania cannot go to Nebraska, because Nebraska does not offer the IC&RC Prevention Specialist credential, even though Nebraska is a member board.

How does the process work?

IC&RC lays it out in six steps:

1. Contact the board you want to move to and learn its requirements. IC&RC flags this as important because some jurisdictions add requirements or fees.
2. Ask your current board for the Application for Reciprocity.
3. Complete it and return it to your current board.
4. Your current board verifies the application and your credential and sends it to IC&RC. IC&RC says boards typically do this 10 to 14 business days after receiving it.
5. IC&RC processes it, sends it to the receiving board, and notifies you by email.
6. The receiving board contacts you, which IC&RC says happens within 10 business days of receiving the documents (its FAQ advises allowing two to three weeks after approval).

If you have not heard from IC&RC in four to six weeks, the FAQ says to check with your current board first.

Timing rules that trip people up

• Your credential must be current. A lapsed credential cannot be reciprocated; you recertify first.
• Do not cut it close. IC&RC recommends starting at least three months before your credential expires, and requires the credential to remain valid for a minimum period at the time of application to avoid expiring mid-process. The FAQ gives both 60 days and 30 days in different answers, so treat 60 as the safe figure.
• You must actually live or work there. IC&RC's credential standards require applicants to live or work at least 51% of the time in a member board's jurisdiction at the time of application and testing. Reciprocity is built for relocating, not for collecting credentials in several states at once.

Can the new state ask for more?

Yes. IC&RC is clear that member boards can require additional standards before accepting a professional from another jurisdiction. Sometimes these are minor, such as a background check or a signed code of ethics. North Carolina's board, for example, asks incoming reciprocity applicants for a criminal background check and a signed ethics code, plus an ongoing supervision form for some credentials. Sometimes the additions are substantial and take real time.

Some credentials are excluded from automatic transfer by state law. North Carolina, for instance, does not reciprocate the Clinical Supervisor credential automatically: its statute requires a counselor to hold the Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS) first.

Will I end up with a license or a certification?

Whatever the new state issues. IC&RC's FAQ explains that if you hold a license and move to a state that certifies rather than licenses, you receive a certification, and the reverse is also true. Many states use the word "certification" for what is legally a license to practice, which is a constant source of confusion. See certification vs. licensure for addiction counselors.

What does IC&RC reciprocity not do?

• It does not carry NAADAC credentials. IC&RC states there is no reciprocity for NAADAC credentials to IC&RC boards. The two organizations are not affiliated. See NAADAC and NBCC addiction credentials.
• It does not cover your LPC. If you hold both an addiction credential and a professional counselor license, the LPC moves through state endorsement or the Counseling Compact, separately.
• It does not give you a compact privilege. The Counseling Compact covers licensed professional counselors only. See does the compact cover addiction counselors?
• It does not work outside member boards, and it does not work when the receiving board does not carry your credential at the reciprocal level.

What about the international certificate?

IC&RC also issues international certificates (ICADC, ICAADC, ICCS and others) to holders of reciprocal-level credentials. They are tied to your board credential and share its expiration date. They do not authorize practice anywhere on their own, but IC&RC notes the ICADC is a qualification listed by the U.S. Department of Transportation for Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) recognition.

Our Addiction Counselor Reciprocity service handles the IC&RC transfer, including the first call to the receiving board to find out what it adds. When the destination needs a full application instead, that is our Full Addiction Counselor Application. If you also hold an LPC, we plan both moves together.