Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS) professionals are located in
14 countries and over 40 US States.
Accredited
The Registered
Addiction Specialist (RAS) Certification, after an
independent and comprehensive review, has been nationally
accredited by the National Commission for
Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
-
There are only 3 nationally-issued
addiction counselor certifications that have been awarded
accreditation through this independent review by NCCA, and the RAS Certification is one of them.*
Breining Institute
is a member of
the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, a non-profit
organization dedicated to developing standards of excellence
for certification programs
Breining Institute was the
first certification agency accredited and approved by the
State of California Department of Alcohol and
Drug Programs
Qualifications
If you are already certified or licensed by one of
the national or state "Qualifying Agencies" - see
them listed below - and have the other
qualifications for the RAS Credential, you will need
to document:
155 hours formal education in alcohol and other drug
abuse (AOD) studies (may be obtained through distance
learning programs),
160 hours supervised AOD training; and
2,080 hours (about one year) work experience
providing counseling services in an AOD program
-
You will then need to pass the RAS Exam, discounted by 20% for
reciprocity candidates,
or
qualify for the Exam Waiver
Exam
The RAS exam is a multiple-choice exam
-
administered five-days-a-week at over 170 test centers
throughout the United States
- Included in the exam fee is a comprehensive study guide that
contains all of the information that may be asked on the
exam
- A free on-line tutorial, prepared by Breining
Institute, that follows the study guide, chapter-by-chapter,
is also available to help you prepare for the exam
-
You will receive your test results immediately upon
finishing the exam
Exam Waiver
If you hold or held an NCCA- accredited
certification from an approved agency on or
after the effective date of its
accreditation, we
will waive
the exam requirement.
All other qualifications will still need to
be documented.
-
Qualified certifications
are listed below
Get started
1. Apply / Register On-line
$49 All reciprocity candidates must register with Breining
as an RAS Intern (RASi); if you are already registered with
Breining as an RASi, you do NOT need to do this again
-
2. Request Exam or Waiver
Exam Fee:
$120
Qualified reciprocity applicants will receive a 20% discount
off of the regular $150 Exam Fee
with documentation of your
certification or license from one of the Qualifying Agencies
listed below (exam
retake fee of $75, if necessary, is not discounted)
- Exam Waiver:
$75
If you qualify for the Exam Waiver, you will only be charged
$75 for issuance of the RAS Certification after you have
registered as an RASi and documented your eligibility
Qualifying
Agencies for Reciprocity Consideration
There are many
Qualifying Agencies, including State licensing and private
certification agencies, and National agencies such as NAADAC and NBCC.
If you received a certification from one of these
agencies, and you document the other education and
experience requirements, you will be eligible for the
discounted Exam fee.
Addiction
professionals who are or were certified or licensed by a Qualifying
Agency are eligible for
the Reciprocity Exam Fee discount. Does not include "certificate" or "certification"
issued by educational institutions for completion of coursework.
RAS who are,
at the time of RAS renewal, currently licensed or certified by, or are
a current member of, any of the Qualifying Agencies, are eligible for
the reduced Renewal Fee ($50 instead of the usual $75 Renewal Fee).
If your
certifying or licensing agency or membership organization is not
listed above, please contact us for a determination. The agency
licensure or certification or membership organization must be related
to the field of addictions.
Qualifying
Certifications for Exam Waiver
Here are the nationally-accredited certifications that
have been deemed acceptable by the National Commission
for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) for the purpose of
waiving the RAS Exam, and you must hold or have held the
certification on or after the effective date of its
initial accreditation by NCCA:
Certified
Addiction Specialist (CAS), issued by the American Academy of Health
Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders - Effective date: May 31.
2010
Certified
Drug, Alcohol and Addiction Counselor (CDAAC), issued by Association
for Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors - Effective date: August
31, 2007
Certified
Alcoholism & Other Drug Addictions Recovery Specialist (CAS), issued
by the Board for Certification of Addiction Specialists, the
certification agency affiliated with the California Association of
Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR) - Effective date: March 31,
2007
Certified
Addiction Treatment Counselor (CATC), issued by the California
Association for Alcohol / Drug Educators (CAADE) - Effective date:
September 30, 2007
Certified
Alcohol & Other Drug Counselor (CAODC), issued by California
Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs (CADDTP) -
Effective date: September 30, 2007
Certified
Alcohol and Drug Counselor II (CADC II), issued by the California
Certification Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors, the
certification agency affiliated with the California Association of
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) - Effective date:
October 31, 2006
Certified
Chemical Dependency Counselor (CCDC), issued by the California
Certification Board for Chemical Dependency Counselors (CCBCDC) -
Effective date: September 30, 2007
Forensic
Addictions Corrections Treatment (FACT) certification, issued by the
Center for Criminality Addiction Research Training and Application (CCARTA)
- Effective date: September 30, 2007
Certified
Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC), issued by the Indian Alcoholism
Commission of California (IACC) - Effective date: September 30, 2007
*The only
three nationally-issued addiction counselor certifications that have
been awarded accreditation through an
independent review by the NCCA are:
Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS) issued by Breining Institute
Certified
Addiction Specialist (CAS) issued by American Academy of Health Care
Providers in the Addictive Disorders
Master Addictions Counselor (MAC) issued by National Board for
Certified Counselors
