LCAC & LAC Licensure changes

HB 1468 was signed by Governor Holcomb and goes into effect on July 1, 2021. This bill includes changes to the Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor (LCAC) and Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) license requirements. You may now be eligible to obtain the LCAC and/or LAC license.

What’s new and what to know for the LCAC.
Coursework Requirements:

  • If you graduated with your MSW in the Mental Health and Addictions Focus Area/Concentration, then the courses that you took will meet the requirements. You do not have to have additional coursework to qualify

Practicum Requirements:

  • You no longer have to complete 700 practicum hours, the completion of your 651/652 practicum provides you with a sufficient number of hours to qualify.
  • Your supervisor will have to meet the requirements of a qualified supervisor
  • 280 of your total practicum hours need to be face to face client contact hours of addiction counseling services
  • Your practicum supervision hours have been reduced from 100 to 35

What’s new and what to know for the LAC.

  • The MSW Practicum can now be counted toward the total number of experience hours required.

Who is a qualified supervisor?
A qualified supervisor is an individual who is supervising within their scope of experience and training, has at least 5 years of experience providing addiction services, and holds an active license at the time of supervision as;

  • addiction counselor
  • clinical addiction counselor
  • mental health counselor
  • clinical social worker
  • marriage and family therapist
  • physician with training in psychiatric medicine
  • psychologist
  • clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing

Therefore, an LCSW who has training in addictions work has at least 5 years of experience in providing addiction services, and is practicing in an addictions counseling setting is a qualified supervisor.

Questions?

Please contact our Career Services Team at iusswcar@iu.edu.