Virginia Law

Every applicant for licensure by endorsement shall submit:

1. A completed application;

2. The application processing and initial licensure fee as prescribed in 18VAC115-60-20;

3. Verification of all mental health or health professional licenses or certificates ever held in any other jurisdiction. In order to qualify for endorsement, the applicant shall have no unresolved disciplinary action against a license or certificate. The board will consider history of disciplinary action on a case-by-case basis;

4. Further documentation of one of the following:

a. A current substance abuse treatment license in good standing in another jurisdiction obtained by meeting requirements substantially equivalent to those set forth in this chapter;

b. A mental health license in good standing in a category acceptable to the board that required completion of a master's degree in mental health to include 60 graduate semester hours in mental health as documented by an official transcript; and

(1) Board-recognized national certification in substance abuse treatment;

(2) If the master's degree was in substance abuse treatment, two years of post-licensure experience in providing substance abuse treatment;

(3) If the master's degree was not in substance abuse treatment, five years of post-licensure experience in substance abuse treatment plus 12 credit hours of didactic training in the substance abuse treatment competencies set forth in 18VAC115-60-70 C as documented by an official transcript; or

(4) Current substance abuse counselor certification in Virginia in good standing or a Virginia substance abuse treatment specialty licensure designation with two years of post-licensure or certification substance abuse treatment experience; or

c. Documentation of education and supervised experience that met the requirements of the jurisdiction in which he was initially licensed as verified by an official transcript and a certified copy of the original application materials and evidence of post-licensure clinical practice for 24 of the last 60 months immediately preceding his licensure application in Virginia. Clinical practice shall mean the rendering of direct clinical substance abuse treatment services or clinical supervision of such services;

5. Verification of a passing score on a substance abuse licensure examination as established by the jurisdiction in which licensure was obtained. The examination is waived for an applicant who holds a current and unrestricted license as a professional counselor within the Commonwealth of Virginia;

6. An affidavit of having read and understood the regulations and laws governing the practice of substance abuse treatment in Virginia; and

7. A current report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).