Washington Administrative Code

An applicant for a registered agency affiliated counselor credential must:(1) Be employed by, or have a current offer of employment from, an agency or facility identified in WAC 246-810-016; or(2) Be a student intern working in an agency for the duration of their student internsh…

(1) An applicant for a certified agency affiliated counselor credential must:(a) Be employed by, or have a current offer of employment from, an agency or facility identified in WAC 246-810-016;(b) Have a bachelor's degree in counseling or one of the social sciences from an accred…

(1) An applicant for agency affiliated counselor certification shall complete a counseling or social science degree from an approved educational program. The degree must have included four courses from at least two knowledge areas listed in this subsection and shown in Table 1. T…

(1) An applicant for a licensed agency affiliated counselor credential must:(a) Be employed by, or have a current offer of employment from, an agency or facility identified in WAC 246-810-016;(b) Have an advanced degree in counseling or one of the social sciences from an accredit…

An applicant for the agency affiliated counselor license shall meet one of the following coursework pathways by completing graduate-level classes, for credit, from an approved educational program:(1) Completion of a course(s) that includes assessment and diagnosis in addition to …

Agencies or facilities that may employ an agency affiliated counselor are:(1) Washington state departments and agencies;(2) Federally recognized Indian tribes located within the state;(3) Counties as listed in chapter 36.04 RCW;(4) Community and technical colleges governed by the…

(1) To become a recognized agency or facility, an agency or facility must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the secretary that it is operated, licensed, or certified by the state of Washington to provide specific counseling services.(2) When reviewing requests for recognition, t…

(1) An agency affiliated counselor shall notify the department within 30 calendar days if they are no longer employed by the agency identified on their application, are now employed with another agency, or both. An agency affiliated counselor may not practice counseling unless th…

An agency affiliated counselor who meets the conditions of RCW 18.205.105 (1)(e) is eligible to apply for a co-occurring disorder specialist enhancement to their existing credential according to the conditions of RCW 18.205.160 and chapter 246-804 WAC.[Statutory Authority: RCW 18…

The scope of practice for a certified counselor is found in RCW 18.19.200 and consists exclusively of the following:(1) Appropriate screening of the client's level of functional impairment using the global assessment of functioning as described in the fourth edition of the Diagno…

The scope of practice for a certified adviser is outlined in RCW 18.19.200 and consists exclusively of the following:(1) Appropriate screening of the client's level of functional impairment using the global assessment of functioning as described in the fourth edition of the Diagn…

(1) An applicant for a certified counselor credential shall:(a) Have a bachelor's degree in a counseling-related field, as defined in WAC 246-810-024;(b) Pass an examination in risk assessment, ethics, and appropriate screening using the global assessment of functioning scale, cl…

An applicant for a certified adviser credential shall:(1) Have an associate degree which included a supervised internship in a counseling-related field as defined in WAC 246-810-024;(2) Pass an examination in risk assessment, ethics, and appropriate screening using the global ass…

(1) An applicant for a certified counseling credential shall have a counseling-related bachelor's degree in a field specified in subsection (3) of this section from an approved educational program or institution. The degree must have required the equivalent of at least four years…

When a certified counselor applicant or certified adviser applicant's counseling-related degree is not listed in WAC 246-810-024, the department uses the following coursework standards to determine whether the degree contained enough counseling coursework to qualify the applicant…

Certified counselors and certified advisers shall meet the following supervision or consultation requirements:(1) Written agreement. A certified counselor or certified adviser shall have a written agreement with a qualified supervisor or, for a certified counselor eligible under …

(1) The following qualifications are required to be a certified counselor supervisor, certified adviser supervisor, or a certified counselor consultant.(a) The supervisor or consultant for a certified counselor shall have held a Washington state credential in counseling-related f…

(1) A certified counselor or a certified adviser shall complete 36 credit hours of continuing education courses every two years.(2) At least six hours of the 36 credit hours must be in law and professional ethics related to counseling.(3) At least once every six years a certified…

(1) Continuing education courses must:(a) Be directly related to counseling; and(b) Contribute to the advancement, extension, and enhancement of the professional competence of the credential holder.(2) Relevant courses include those that are related to counseling theory and pract…

Activities that meet the requirements of WAC 246-810-029 and are eligible for continuing education must be provided by institutions of higher learning or industry-recognized local, state, national, or international organizations. These organizations include, but are not limited t…

(1) A certified counselor or certified adviser who prepares and presents lectures or education that contributes to the professional competence of other counselors or mental health providers may accumulate the same number of continuing education hours obtained by attendees.(2) The…

(1) Acceptable continuing education documentation for a certified counselor or certified adviser includes transcripts, signed letters from course instructors, certificate of completion, or other formal certification, as required in chapter 246-12 WAC.(2) The credential holder sha…

(1) Approved qualifying training in suicide assessment, including screening and referral, must be on the department's model list developed in accordance with RCW 43.70.442.(2) A certified counselor or certified adviser who is an employee of a state or local government employer is…

(1) A certified counselor or certified adviser must complete training in health equity as a part of their continuing education requirements. The certified counselor or certified adviser must complete at least two hours of health equity trainings every four years. The training may…

(1) Certified counselors and certified advisers must provide a disclosure statement to each client prior to starting a program of treatment.(2) The following must appear in the certified counselor's or certified adviser's disclosure statement:(a) Their name and the name of their …

Failure to provide to the client any of the disclosure information as set forth in WAC 246-810-031, and as required by the law shall constitute an act of unprofessional conduct as defined in RCW 18.130.180(7).[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.19.050, 18.19.090, 18.19.020, 2021 c 170, …

(1) A counselor providing professional services to a client or providing services billed to a third-party payee, must document services, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section. The documentation must include:(a) Client name;(b) The fee arrangement and record of paym…

(1) Counselors who collect fees in advance of the service provided must separate such funds from operating or expense funds. The counselor may not spend the funds until the service is provided. Any funds left in the account for services not provided must be returned to the client…

An applicant for a hypnotherapist credential shall submit to the department:(1) An application on forms provided by the department under RCW 18.19.090;(2) Applicable fee(s) required under WAC 246-810-990; and(3) Any additional supporting documentation requested by the department.…

(1) Credentials in this chapter must be renewed every year on the practitioner's birthday as provided by chapter 246-12 WAC.(2) Examination and reexamination fees are the responsibility of the applicant.(3) The following nonrefundable fees will be charged:TitleFeeRegistered hypno…

The definitions in RCW 18.205.020 and in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly states otherwise.(1) "Agency" means a community behavioral health agency or facility operated, licensed, or certified by the state of Washington, a federally recognized …

(1) An individual certified under this chapter shall follow an industry-recognized code of ethics, such as NAADAC or the NASW, while acting as a substance use disorder professional or trainee.(2) An individual certified under this chapter shall have a working knowledge and unders…

(1) The definitions and prohibitions on sexual misconduct described in chapter 246-16 WAC apply to substance use disorder professionals and a substance use disorder professional trainee except WAC 246-16-100 (4) and (5).(2) A substance use disorder professional or a substance use…

(1)(a) An applicant applying under the traditional pathway for a substance use disorder professional certificate shall submit to the department:(i) An application on forms provided by the department;(ii) The fee required under WAC 246-811-990; and(iii) Any supporting documentatio…

Except as provided for in WAC 246-811-077 and 246-811-078, to be eligible for certification as a substance use disorder professional an applicant shall meet the education requirements in this section.(1) The minimum education requirements for a substance use disorder professional…

(1) To apply for a substance use disorder professional trainee certificate an applicant shall:(a) Submit an application on forms provided by the department, including any written documentation needed to provide proof of meeting the eligibility requirements as indicated on the app…

(1) All supervised experience earned in Washington state toward application for certification as a substance use disorder professional must be earned under either:(a) A substance use disorder professional trainee credential; or(b) Another credential listed in WAC 246-811-076.(2) …

Except as provided in WAC 246-811-050 and 246-811-070(1), to qualify for substance use disorder professional certification, an applicant shall complete the following experience requirements based on their level of formal education:(1) Two thousand five hundred hours of substance …

(1) An individual applying for a substance use disorder professional certification shall obtain and maintain competency in the core competencies of substance use disorder counseling through the experience requirements in this section.(2) Individuals must have the following experi…

(1) All of the experience required for substance use disorder professional certification must be under the direct supervision of an approved supervisor as defined in WAC 246-811-049.(2) A substance use disorder professional or an individual credentialed according to WAC 246-811-0…

(1) An approved supervisor is a certified substance use disorder professional who meets the requirements of this section. Out-of-state experience must be earned under the supervision of a person who meets or exceeds the requirements of a certified substance use disorder professio…

(1) An apprentice accepted into an approved and registered apprenticeship program:(a) May begin completing related/supplemental instruction at any time after becoming an apprentice; and(b) Must be credentialed as a substance use disorder professional trainee under WAC 246-811-035…

(1) An applicant shall take and pass the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) National Certification Examination for Addiction Counselors or International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Certified Addiction Counselor Level II or higher examination.(2)…

(1) A person who is certified through the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) or the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) as an alcohol and drug counselor (ADC) or advanced alcohol and drug counselor (AADC), is considered to meet the experie…

A practitioner listed in subsections (1) through (7) of this section who holds an active license in good standing may apply for certification as a substance use disorder professional using alternative training under WAC 246-811-077 or 246-811-078:(1) Advanced registered nurse pra…

An applicant credentialed according to WAC 246-811-076 may meet the educational requirements for substance use disorder professional certification by demonstrating successful completion of fifteen quarter or ten semester college credits in courses from an approved school.(1) Cour…

(1) An applicant credentialed according to WAC 246-811-076 may submit a national certification listed in subsection (2) of this section in place of the following requirements for substance use disorder professional certification:(a) The educational requirements in WAC 246-811-077…

(1) If the substance use disorder professional or substance use disorder professional trainee certification has expired for five years or less, the individual must meet the requirements of chapter 246-12 WAC.(2) If a substance use disorder professional certification has lapsed fo…

A certified substance use disorder professional may obtain a retired active credential. Refer to the requirements of chapter 246-12 WAC.[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.205.060, 43.70.250, chapter 18.205 RCW, 2023 c 425, 2024 c 371, and 2024 c 366. WSR 25-07-024, s 246-811-081, filed…

A substance use disorder professional and a substance use disorder professional trainee must provide disclosure information to each client prior to the delivery of certified services. Disclosure information may be printed in a format of the substance use disorder professional's c…