Georgia CAADC Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Requirements reviewed: July 31, 2026

Credential Status in Georgia

Georgia does not issue a state license titled Certified Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor. The Alcohol & Drug Abuse Certification Board of Georgia (ADACBGA) issues the CAADC as a professional certification.

ADACBGA states that Georgia does not license alcohol and drug counselors. Instead, qualifying private certifications provide a statutory exception that permits certified individuals to practice addiction counseling without holding a license from the Georgia Composite Board. The CAADC carries an independent addiction-counseling scope, including work involving related co-occurring mental, emotional, and cognitive disorders. A CAADC must not represent the credential as a Georgia state-issued license. (adacbga.org)

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Requirements at a Glance

Category	CAADC requirement
Graduate degree	Licensure-eligible master’s or doctoral degree in a behavioral-health field
Addiction education	180 contact hours
Direct work experience	4,000 clock hours, approximately two years full-time
Job supervision	20 hours of one-on-one job supervision
Clinical supervision	200 hours
Minimum individual clinical supervision	50 hours—25% of the 200 clinical hours
Maximum non-individual clinical supervision	150 hours
Total supervision under the ADACBGA structure	220 hours
Examination	IC&RC Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor examination
Georgia connection	Work or reside in Georgia at least 51% of the year when applying and testing

The 220 supervision hours consist of 20 one-on-one job-supervision hours plus 200 clinical-supervision hours. The published materials do not state that applicants must accumulate 4,220 nonoverlapping hours. Supervision and employment are documented as separate requirements, but ADACBGA does not expressly say whether supervision sessions may also occur during the 4,000-hour employment period. (adacbga.org)

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1. Graduate-Degree Requirement

Applicants must hold a licensure-eligible master’s or doctoral degree in a behavioral-health field from a regionally accredited college or university listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s accreditation database.

The degree program must include:

• A clinical component and clinical application;
• Psychopathology or equivalent coursework; and
• A supervised internship, field placement, clinical practicum, or equivalent supervised clinical experience.

ADACBGA’s manual identifies relevant fields such as psychology, social work, addiction counseling, nursing, sociology, criminal justice, and health education. However, the degree must still satisfy the more specific CAADC requirement that it be a licensure-eligible graduate degree in a behavioral-health field with the required clinical components. (adacbga.org)

Practicum and internship hours

The graduate program must contain a supervised internship, field placement, or clinical practicum. ADACBGA does not expressly state that these hours automatically count toward either:

• The 4,000 direct-work-experience hours; or
• The 200 clinical-supervision hours.

Applicants seeking to count graduate practicum or internship hours should obtain written confirmation from ADACBGA.

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2. Addiction-Education Hours

Applicants must complete 180 contact hours of alcohol-and-drug education related to addiction counseling and the applicable counselor functions or performance domains.

Within the 180 hours, applicants must complete at least:

• 6 hours in professional ethics;
• 6 hours in trauma-informed care;
• 6 hours in telehealth or e-counseling; and
• 6 hours in HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis C. (adacbga.org)

The education must be documented through acceptable college coursework or qualifying continuing-education certificates. Certificates generally must identify an acceptable accreditor or valid provider number. General college courses such as English, mathematics, and basic science are not treated as addiction-counseling education merely because they were part of the applicant’s degree. (adacbga.org)

Education, workshops, seminars, and training are separate from work experience. Completion certificates do not, by themselves, document direct-work or clinical-supervision hours.

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3. Direct Work Experience

Required total

The CAADC requires:

4,000 clock hours of direct work experience, described as approximately two years of full-time work.

ADACBGA defines direct work experience as supervised paid or voluntary work involving:

• Direct contact with clients; and
• Responsibility for a caseload of individuals with substance-use disorders or co-occurring mental-health disorders. (adacbga.org)

Direct-client-contact requirement

ADACBGA labels the full 4,000-hour category “Direct Work Experience.” It does not publish a smaller subminimum for face-to-face or synchronous client contact.

No separate minimum was located for:

• Individual counseling;
• Group counseling;
• Family counseling;
• Assessment;
• Crisis intervention;
• Case management; or
• Other specific clinical services.

The term “direct work experience” should not necessarily be interpreted to mean that every minute of all 4,000 hours must be uninterrupted face-to-face counseling. The governing statute recognizes a broader range of addiction-treatment responsibilities, including:

• Screening, intake, and orientation;
• Addiction assessment;
• Treatment planning;
• Individual, family, and group addiction counseling;
• Case management;
• Crisis intervention;
• Client education;
• Referral;
• Reporting and recordkeeping; and
• Consultation with other professionals regarding client treatment and services. (gov.georgia.gov)

No published modality caps

No separate cap or minimum was located for:

• Group counseling;
• Family counseling;
• Assessments;
• Testing;
• Case management;
• Treatment planning;
• Documentation;
• Consultation; or
• Particular client populations.

Administrative work unrelated to direct client contact and responsibility for a substance-use or co-occurring-disorder caseload is not affirmatively identified as qualifying experience.

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4. Paid Versus Voluntary Experience

There is an important conflict between ADACBGA’s manual and Georgia law.

• The ADACBGA manual defines direct work experience as supervised paid or voluntary work.
• O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-7 requires the private certifying association’s standards to include at least 4,000 hours of full-time paid experience for the statutory addiction-counselor exception. (adacbga.org)

Because the statutory exception specifically uses the words “full-time paid experience,” an applicant should not assume that unpaid or volunteer experience will satisfy the legal practice exception, even if ADACBGA accepts it for some certification purposes. Written confirmation from ADACBGA is advisable before relying on unpaid hours.

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5. Job Supervision

The 4,000 direct-work hours must include at least:

20 hours of one-on-one job supervision from the applicant’s job supervisor.

These are specifically job-supervision hours and are separate from the 200 clinical-supervision-hour requirement. (adacbga.org)

The job supervisor must hold an appropriate professional or supervisory role. ADACBGA gives credentials such as the following as examples:

• CADC-II;
• CAADC;
• LMSW; and
• LPC.

A Job Supervisor’s Statement must be submitted for every agency and all work-experience hours claimed. Applicants who worked at multiple agencies must obtain a separate verification covering the hours earned at each agency. (adacbga.org)

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6. Clinical Supervision

Required total

Applicants must complete:

200 hours of clinical supervision.

ADACBGA describes clinical supervision as a process involving observation, mentoring, and evaluation of the supervisee to ensure quality clinical care. (adacbga.org)

Individual and group distribution

At least 25% of the 200 clinical-supervision hours must be one-on-one.

This produces the following numerical requirements:

• Minimum individual clinical supervision: 50 hours;
• Maximum non-individual clinical supervision: 150 hours;
• Separate one-on-one job supervision: 20 hours; and
• Minimum one-on-one supervision overall: 70 hours when the 50 individual clinical hours and 20 individual job-supervision hours are combined.

Group clinical supervision is allowed, but the group should not exceed 12 counselors per supervisor. No separate triadic-supervision category or definition is published. (adacbga.org)

Required supervision domains

The 200 clinical-supervision hours must include at least 10 hours in each of the following four AADC domains:

1. Screening, Assessment, and Engagement;
2. Treatment Planning, Collaboration, and Referral;
3. Counseling and Education; and
4. Ethical and Professional Responsibilities.

This accounts for at least 40 of the 200 clinical-supervision hours. The remaining hours may be distributed as permitted by ADACBGA, subject to the requirement that at least 50 total clinical hours be individual supervision. (adacbga.org)

No recurring supervision ratio

ADACBGA does not publish a recurring ratio such as one supervision hour for every 20, 30, or 40 work hours. The stated requirements are fixed totals:

• 20 hours of one-on-one job supervision;
• 200 hours of clinical supervision;
• At least 50 of the clinical hours in an individual format; and
• At least 10 clinical-supervision hours in each required domain.

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7. Clinical-Supervisor Qualifications

Clinical supervision is accepted without case-by-case approval when the supervisor holds:

• ADACBGA Certified Clinical Supervisor certification; or
• IC&RC Internationally Certified Clinical Supervisor certification.

Other supervisors may be acceptable only when they receive ADACBGA’s written approval before supervision begins. Potentially acceptable credentials include:

• LPC with the Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor or Approved Clinical Supervisor designation;
• LCSW with the specified clinical-supervision qualification;
• LMFT with the AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation;
• Georgia Addiction Counselors Association Certified Clinical Supervisor with proof of the specified supervisor examination; or
• NAADAC National Clinical Supervision Endorsement. (adacbga.org)

A supervisor who does not hold the ADACBGA CCS or IC&RC ICCS must also document:

• At least two years of practice and supervisory experience specific to substance-use-disorder or co-occurring-disorder treatment; and
• At least five hours each year of continuing education specific to substance-use or co-occurring disorders.

The supervisor must receive an ADACBGA Approved Supervisor Letter before providing supervision. Supervision completed before the required approval may be rejected. (adacbga.org)

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8. Total Supervision Required by Georgia Law

Georgia’s statutory addiction-counselor exception requires a qualifying private association’s certification standards to include at least:

• 4,000 hours of full-time paid experience;
• 180 hours of addiction education; and
• 220 hours of supervision. (gov.georgia.gov)

For the CAADC, ADACBGA reaches the 220-hour supervision total through:

• 20 hours of one-on-one job supervision; plus
• 200 hours of clinical supervision.

ADACBGA does not state that applicants must complete 220 clinical-supervision hours in addition to job supervision. The clinical requirement is 200 hours, with the separate job-supervision requirement bringing the combined total to 220.

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9. Time Requirements and Accrual Limits

Minimum duration

ADACBGA equates 4,000 hours to approximately two years of full-time work. It does not state a separate minimum number of calendar weeks or months beyond that description. (adacbga.org)

Weekly or daily caps

No published maximum was located for the number of work-experience hours that may be counted:

• Per day;
• Per week; or
• Per month.

Applicants should maintain employment records that accurately reflect hours actually worked rather than projecting or estimating full-time hours.

Post-degree requirement

The current CAADC materials require a qualifying graduate degree but do not expressly state that all 4,000 hours must be earned after the degree is conferred. They also do not guarantee that pre-degree employment, internship, or practicum hours will be accepted.

Three-year trainee exception

A person relying on Georgia’s addiction-counselor trainee exception may do so for no more than three years. During that period, the trainee must:

• Be employed by an agency or facility licensed to provide addiction counseling;
• Be supervised and directed by an appropriately qualified supervisor;
• Have a high-school diploma or GED; and
• Be actively seeking addiction-counselor certification. (gov.georgia.gov)

The three-year restriction applies to the statutory trainee exception. No separate provision was located stating that previously earned CAADC experience automatically expires after a particular number of years.

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10. Telehealth and Remote Supervision

Applicants must complete six education hours in telehealth or e-counseling. (adacbga.org)

However, the current CAADC packet and Application Manual do not specify:

• Whether telehealth client services count toward the 4,000 direct-work hours;
• A maximum percentage of work experience that may be completed through telehealth;
• Whether clinical supervision may occur through videoconference;
• Whether telephone supervision is acceptable; or
• Whether any portion of supervision must occur in person.

Because the current materials do not establish a telehealth limit or expressly authorize remote supervision, applicants should obtain written approval before relying heavily on distance-based experience or supervision.

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11. Georgia Residency or Employment Connection

At the time of application and testing, an applicant must work or reside in Georgia for at least 51% of the year. ADACBGA may require documentation of Georgia residence or employment. (adacbga.org)

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12. Examination Requirement

Applicants must satisfy all CAADC application requirements and pass the IC&RC Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor examination.

ADACBGA reviews the completed application before issuing approval to test. The current CAADC packet lists:

• Application fee: $150; and
• Examination fee: $180. (adacbga.org)

Fees can change and should be confirmed through the application portal before submission.

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13. Application Documentation

The application is completed through ADACBGA’s Certemy credential-management system. Applicants should be prepared to submit:

• Completed application sections;
• Proof of the qualifying master’s or doctoral degree;
• Official transcripts sent according to ADACBGA’s instructions;
• Certificates documenting the 180 education hours;
• Job Supervisor’s Statement for each agency;
• Documentation of all 4,000 work-experience hours;
• Documentation of the 20 one-on-one job-supervision hours;
• Documentation of the 200 clinical-supervision hours;
• Evidence of the required individual-supervision and domain distributions;
• Supervisor credentials;
• ADACBGA approval letters for supervisors who require prior approval; and
• All applicable fees. (adacbga.org)

The public materials do not prescribe a particular weekly or monthly supervision-log format. Nevertheless, records should identify dates, duration, format, supervisor, and applicable supervision domain so that the required totals can be verified.

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14. Important Edge Cases

Multiple employers

Multiple agencies may be used to establish the 4,000-hour total. A separate Job Supervisor’s Statement is required for each agency and the hours attributed to that employment.

Multiple supervisors

ADACBGA does not prohibit multiple job or clinical supervisors. Each supervisor must satisfy the qualifications applicable to the type of supervision provided, and the hours credited to each supervisor must be clearly documented.

Indirect and related duties

There is no separately defined “indirect experience” category or published cap. Treatment planning, case management, referral, reporting, recordkeeping, and professional consultation are recognized addiction-counseling services, but ADACBGA does not assign separate hour limits to them. (gov.georgia.gov)

Supervision counted during employment

The materials do not expressly state whether supervision sessions may simultaneously be included as compensated employment time within the 4,000 hours. Applicants should not assume either that the hours must be completely separate or that all supervision automatically counts toward the work total.

Older supervision-domain materials

Older documents may refer to distributing supervision across the 12 Core Functions. The CAADC packet currently linked by ADACBGA instead requires at least 10 supervision hours in each of four AADC domains. The currently linked CAADC packet should be followed unless ADACBGA provides different written instructions. (adacbga.org)

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Final Hour Breakdown

To satisfy the currently published CAADC structure, an applicant must document:

1. 4,000 clock hours of direct work experience involving direct contact and responsibility for a substance-use or co-occurring-disorder caseload;
2. 20 hours of one-on-one job supervision during the work-experience requirement;
3. 200 hours of clinical supervision, including:
   • At least 50 individual hours;
   • No more than 150 non-individual hours;
   • Groups of no more than 12 counselors per supervisor; and
   • At least 10 hours in each of the four required AADC domains;
4. 180 contact hours of addiction education, including the four required six-hour subject areas;
5. A qualifying master’s or doctoral degree with the required clinical component;
6. A passing score on the IC&RC AADC examination; and
7. Complete supervisor, employment, education, and transcript documentation.

For purposes of Georgia’s statutory practice exception, the safest reading is that the 4,000 work hours must be full-time paid experience, notwithstanding the ADACBGA manual’s broader reference to paid or voluntary work.