Examination for Master Addiction Counselor (EMAC) is a certification exam conducted by National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). It was jointly developed by American Counseling Association (ACA) (exactly, International Association of Addiction and Offenders Counselors-IACCOCA) and NBCC. It is a job related certification, which assesses knowledge required by professional Master Addiction Counselors. The certificate holders are eligible to achieve Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) status from the United States Department of Transportation.
Eligibility-
An applicant must be holding National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential. The applicant must have documented proof of 12 semester hours of graduate coursework in addictions including coursework in marriage/group or family counseling. Otherwise, he/she must have documented proof of 500 hours of continuing education in the area of addictions. In addition, the applicant must have supervised experience of three years as addictions counselors with practice of not less than 20 hours a week.
Test Overview-
The exam consists of following content areas-
Addiction counseling practices- Providing counseling to clients with issues such as physical abuse or disabilities; Applying federal and/or ethical counseling standards; Providing individual, group, family counseling; Crisis intervention for clients and their significant others; Implementation of treatment plans.
Treatment planning and implementation- Designing comprehensive care plans; Evaluation of care/treatment outcomes; Formulation of DSM-IV classification; Development of therapeutic relationship with clients.
Orientation to treatment process- Assessment of compatibility of program services for clients; Informing clients about treatment processes, legal issues and rights; Providing other referral sources.
Assessment- Assessing potential of client to harm self or others; Determining alcohol and other drug signs; Determining severity of client addiction; Determining symptoms of intoxication and withdrawal; Assessment of client’s external support system.
Prevention- Preparing age specific prevention materials; Promotion of healthy lifestyle; Development of programs based on needs assessment.
Test Format-
It is a criterion referenced test so, an examinee is evaluated against a set standard instead of performance of other examinees. It is an objective test. There are 100 multiple choice items in this exam.
Marking Scheme-
The passing score is determined by modified Angoff method. The score report contains five content area scores and number total of questions answered correctly, group mean and standard deviation for each content area and total score, and passing score. The score reports are mailed to candidates within eight weeks from the exam date.
Schedule-
This exam is conducted in the months of April and October in a year. The candidates require mailing a completed application along with supporting documents and fees within given deadline. The application packet is available on NBCC website. The applicant is responded by a form letter which confirms receipt of application and details information pertaining to use of NBCC website for checking application status. NBCC reviews received application and sends a postcard or letter informing about approval to take the test. The admit cards are received by candidates two weeks before the exam date.
Exam Fees-
The fee for EMAC is $295.