How to Become an Addiction Counselor in Ohio

Licenses covered

• CDCA
• LCDC II / LCDC III
• LICDC
• Prevention Specialist

Chemical Dependency Professionals Board by the numbers

These figures are ours, not the board's — we computed them from the full State of Ohio licence file so you can see this board in context rather than one record at a time. Data as of September 2026.

Only 21.6% of the 68,908 licences this board has on record are currently active — the other 78.4% belong to people who retired, moved, changed careers, or simply let a credential lapse. That gap is the single best reason to verify a licence rather than assume a name in a database means somebody may practise today.

Most common licence types

When a licence from this board is not active, the most common reason recorded is expired (31,154 records), followed by advanced (17,509). Our status dictionary explains what each label actually means.

1.82% of this board's licences carry a recorded board action (1,253 of 68,908), against about 1.6% across all Ohio professions. A board action covers everything from an administrative consent agreement to revocation, and it is cumulative over a licence's whole life — see how we measured that before reading much into it.

Computed by OhioLicenseCheck from the State of Ohio eLicense dataset (issued licences only; application records excluded). Refreshed daily.

Why choose this path

• Start working in the field in weeks, not years, via the CDCA
• Earn while you climb: each tier (LCDC II, III, LICDC) raises scope and pay
• Recovery experience is an asset, not a liability, in hiring
• Constant demand across treatment centers, drug courts, hospitals, and prisons
• Prevention specialist track offers a community-focused alternative to clinical work

Path to the license

1. 1

   Get the CDCA

   40 hours of approved chemical-dependency training plus an application — the fastest licensed entry in Ohio behavioral health. You work under supervision from day one.

2. 2

   Build hours and education for the next tier

   LCDC II requires an associate degree (or equivalent) in a behavioral science plus supervised hours; LCDC III requires a bachelor’s. Both take the IC&RC ADC exam.

3. 3

   Reach independent practice with the LICDC

   A master’s in a behavioral-health field plus supervised experience and the advanced exam unlock independent diagnosis and treatment.

4. 4

   Keep credentials current

   Every tier renews with continuing education, including ethics. Agencies with high caseloads are unforgiving of lapsed credentials — set an alert.

Pay and outlook

BLS groups addiction counselors with mental-health counselors at a national median in the mid-$50,000s. In Ohio, CDCAs typically start in the high-$30,000s, LCDC IIs and IIIs in the $45,000–58,000 range, and LICDCs — especially in private or supervisory practice — from $65,000 upward.

This occupation carries one of the fastest BLS growth projections in the country.

Where Ohioans train

Schools listed are well-known examples, not endorsements — always compare accreditation, cost, and outcomes.

Official links & resources

• Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board
• IC&RC examinations
• BLS Outlook: Substance Abuse Counselors