Esteemed Colleagues, Counselors, Students and Stakeholders,
As you are aware, the ACCBC met its target date of be re-accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) by August of 2018, in fact, we received notification of our five-year (5) accreditation on 07/19/2018. The second stage of the process is under way and we are working closely with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to regain their approval of CAADE/ACCBC as a recognized certifying body.
We received our site visit from DHCS in early September and we were hopeful that by this time we would have our approval. Unfortunately, this process has been moving much more slowly than anticipated. However, we are working very collaboratively with DHCS and are highly confident that once this process is complete we will once again be recognized as a certifying body and begin meeting your needs and relieving the burden to the workforce.
We are acutely aware that this delay continues to create a significant amount of anxiety and confusion. We receive dozens of calls each day asking why we cannot register students or certify counselors even though we have been accredited by the NCCA. There are two (2) agencies that must approve all certifying bodies for addiction counselors in the state of California, the NCCA (which has approved us for 5 years) and DHCS, again, we await our final approval and remain hopeful for a quick approval once our process is completed.
Important reminder: If you are providing counseling services in a licensed and/or certified AOD facility, you must be registered or certified by one of the DHCS recognized certifying agencies, CADTP (https://cadtp.org/) or CCAPP.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this very challenging process and we will continue to keep you updated and informed of any developments. The day that we receive our approval from DHCS, you will once again be able to register, renew, and become certified and you will be able to do all of this online if you choose.
We continue to be sincerely grateful to all of you who have stood by us during this challenging time and who are waiting to rejoin our ranks to continue leading the charge for higher standards for addiction treatment counselors in the state of California and beyond.
With great gratitude, respect and sincerity,
Drew Williams, MA, CATC IV
Chair, ACCBC
