(1) Six months (1000 hours) of supervised chemical dependency counseling experience in an approved chemical dependency treatment setting is required for certification. The supervised experience may be gained through paid work experience, academic internship hours or unpaid volunteer work if the applicant is supervised by a Montana certified chemical dependency counselor in an approved treatment setting. The counseling experience must be completed in not more than two different treatment settings. (Internship hours earned through an academic chemical dependency field placement program are not included in the limit of two treatment settings.)

 

(2) Qualified chemical dependency treatment settings include those in which counselors may obtain clinical training and experience and are based on nationally recognized patient placement criteria. The criteria defining chemical dependency treatment settings include those which provide the basis for a continuum of care for patients with alcohol and/or drug addiction and include one or more of the following levels of care:

(a) outpatient treatment;

(b) intensive outpatient/day treatment;

(c) medically monitored inpatient treatment (residential) ; and

(d) medically managed inpatient treatment (hospital) .

(3) Approved settings for chemical dependency counseling experience include:

(a) state approved chemical dependency treatment programs;

(b) Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) or Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) approved settings for addictions treatment;

(c) Indian Health Service approved settings for chemical dependency treatment;

(d) organized addictions treatment programs within branches of the armed forces of Veterans Administration hospitals;

(e) organized group practice settings (three or more certified counselors in a defined, conjoint practice) providing addiction treatment services. The work setting must have the capacity to provide multidisciplinary supervision.

(4) All approved outpatient treatment settings must have a direct referral affiliation for the provision of detoxification services, medical and laboratory services and psychiatric and psychological consultation.

(5) All approved treatment settings must demonstrate that the individualized treatment plans include problem formulations, goals, measurable treatment objectives and progress notes and that it conducts regular reviews of plans at specified times by a designated treatment team.