Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) Counselor — what they do and where they practise

What this licence covers

Licensed counselors (LPC, LMHC, LCPC and other state-specific titles) hold a master’s degree in counselling and supervised clinical hours. Scope of practice overlaps substantially with clinical social workers; the difference is mostly one of training tradition rather than what they treat. Title and abbreviation vary by state for the same underlying licence.

Substance use and addictive behaviour.

The formal definition

Definition to come...

Source: NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set. This is the definition used for billing and registration, which is why it reads the way it does.

Many also hold another licence

different training route, same person

These are registrations where the same person also holds a licence of a genuinely different kind — not the same qualification recorded twice. It is worth knowing because it widens what someone can work with: a counsellor who is also a social worker brings a different second toolkit than one who is also a behaviour analyst.

Social Worker

12,338

12.4%

Marriage & Family Therapist

3,051

3.1%

Psychologist

1,525

1.5%

Behavior Analyst

329

0.3%