The Delaware Certification Board is an organization which offers voluntary state-level credentialing to the alcohol and other drug abuse professionals.  The Board, compromised of certified professionals throughout the state, implements standards and testing for certification of addiction counselors.

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Delaware Certification Board, Inc. (DCB) is to promote and account for trained, competent professionals specializing in addiction prevention and treatment.  Through a certifying process, the Board determines that candidates have met a minimal threshold of competency by complying with a national and peer review measurement process.

Vision Statement

It is DCB's vision that all persons who meet the standard requirements for certified addiction professional be offered the ability to promote, document and indicate their specialty through a certified credential that is recognized locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.  These credentials offer credence to the unique nature of chemical use, abuse and other addictive disorders and the rigorous training and professional demeanor needed to promote recovery and focus on a healthy lifestyle.

Updates

Special Recognition to DCB

The Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health presented the Delaware Certification Board (DCB) with a special recognition plaque during the 2008 Summer Institute on July 28 for transforming the CADC certification process.  DCB President, Dave Parcher, was on hand to accept the award from DSAMH Director, Renata Henry.

DSAMH Summer Institute

The entire 2007 DSAMH Summer Institute was approved by the Delaware Certification Board for use toward certification and recertification.  Confusion last year surrounding this approval has been corrected.  The entire 2008 DSAMH Summer Institute has also been DCB approved as well.  We apologize for any inconvenience last year’s approval may have caused.  Thank you.

Oral Examination for Counselor Certification Eliminated 

The oral examination, which has been part of the process for becoming a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) since the early 80’s in Delaware and used toward assessing clinical counselor skills, has been eliminated as a requirement for certification.

The IC&RC voted, at its spring 2007 meeting, to incorporate the competency based nature of the oral examination into the written examination required for CADC.

 The written examination for CADC was updated in 2008 and includes a case presentation and 13 competency based questions directly related to the case presentation.  The updated written examination still contains 150 questions and 3 ½ hours are still provided to complete the exam.

 Part of the rationale for eliminating the oral examination and incorporating it into the existing written exam is that oral examinations, while once widely used in credentialing and licensing processes, are: costly to administer; less reliable and valid than written examinations; more difficult to standardize; being used less and less as an assessment tool for credentialing or licensing professionals.

 The oral examination process has long since served its purpose. It was developed and used by certification boards worldwide since the early 80’s at a time when no written examination existed for certification. When written examinations were developed in the early 90’s, the oral examination was retained and counselors were required to pass both the written exam and the oral exam for certification.

 Updated study guides used to prepare for the new written examination are available for sale from the Delaware Certification Board.