Issued: February 26, 2026
Partners Health Management has received feedback from providers regarding the need for clarification on Qualified Professional (QP) requirements, particularly for individuals who hold certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor-Registered (CADC-R), or Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor-Intern (CADC-I).
What is happening?
QPs must meet certain requirements as described in 10A NCAC 27G (shown below). Within the MH/DD/SUD system of care, “qualified professional” means either:
“(a) an individual who holds a license, provisional license, or certificate issued by the governing board regulating a human service profession, including a registered nurse who is licensed to practice in the state of North Carolina by the North Carolina Board of Nursing who also has four years of full-time accumulated experience in mh/dd/sas with the population served;
(b) a graduate of a college or university with a master’s degree in a human service field and has one year of full-time, pre- or post-graduate degree accumulated supervised mh/dd/sas experience with the population served, or a substance abuse professional who has one year of full-time, pre- or post-graduate degree accumulated supervised experience in alcoholism and drug abuse counseling;
(c) a graduate of a college or university with a bachelor’s degree in a human service field and has two years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised mh/dd/sa experience with the population served, or a substance abuse professional who has two years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised experience in alcoholism and drug abuse counseling;
or
(d) a graduate of a college or university with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than human services and has four years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised mh/dd/sa experience with the population served, or a substance abuse professional who has four years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised experience in alcoholism and drug abuse counseling.”
What does this mean for providers?
- This means to meet the requirements for a Qualified Professional, an individual must either:
- Meet one of the four requirements listed above.
- This would also include a fully certified individual with the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board (NCASPPB) who has four years of full-time accumulated experience with the MH/DD/SUD population.
- The CADC-R and CADC-I are not considered full certification.
- To be deemed a QP, individuals with a CADC-R or CADC-I must meet the other degree and respective experience requirements as stated in 10A NCAC 27G and outlined above.
- If the CADC has not graduated from a college or university, the individual would need four years of full-time accumulated experience in MH/DD/SUD to qualify as a QP.
- If the CADC is a graduate of a college or university, the individual must meet one of the following requirements to be deemed a QP, depending on degree type:
- Have a master’s degree in a human service field and one year of full-time, pre- or post-graduate degree accumulated supervised MH/DD/SUD experience, or be a substance use disorder professional who has one year of full-time, pre- or post-graduate degree accumulated supervised experience in alcoholism and drug use counseling.
- Have a bachelor’s degree in a human service field, and have two years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised MH/DD/SUD experience, or be a substance use disorder professional with two years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised experience in alcoholism and drug abuse counseling.
- Have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than human services and have four years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised MH/DD/SUD experience, or be a substance abuse professional with four years of full-time, pre- or post-bachelor’s degree accumulated supervised experience in alcoholism and drug abuse counseling.
Who can providers contract if they have questions?
For any questions related to staff qualifications and requirements, providers may contact the QM Monitoring Department at qmms@partnersbhm.org.