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.