Md. Code, Health Occupations § 17-403
This is the official text of Md. Code, Health Occupations § 17-403, part of Maryland’s Code, Health Occupations — governs the licensing of healthcare professionals.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§17–403.
Official statutory text
(a) Except as provided in § 17–405 of this subtitle, to qualify as a certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug, an applicant shall:
(1) Be of good moral character;
(2) At a minimum:
(i) Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited educational institution approved by the Board in a health and human services counseling field; or
(ii) Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited educational institution and have completed a program of studies judged by the Board to be substantially equivalent in subject matter as may be required by the Board in regulation;
(3) Have completed not less than 1 year with a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinically supervised experience in alcohol and drug counseling approved by the Board; and
(4) Have completed any additional educational requirements established by the Board in regulation.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this title, the applicant shall pass:
(1) An examination approved by the Board under this title; and
(2) The law examination on this title administered by the Board.
(c) A certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug shall practice alcohol and drug counseling under the supervision of a Board–approved alcohol and drug supervisor who is:
(1) A licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor;
(2) A certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug;
(3) A licensed clinical professional counselor;
(4) A licensed clinical marriage and family therapist;
(5) A licensed clinical professional art therapist; or
(6) A health care provider licensed under this article with documented expertise in alcohol and drug counseling.
(d) A certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug:
(1) May provide only:
(i) Alcohol and drug counseling as an employee of an agency or a facility that is certified or licensed by the State;
(ii) Alcohol and drug counseling under the supervision of a Board–approved supervisor as specified in subsection (c) of this section; and
(iii) Supervision with approval by the Board; and
(2) May not practice independently.
(1) Be of good moral character;
(2) At a minimum:
(i) Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited educational institution approved by the Board in a health and human services counseling field; or
(ii) Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited educational institution and have completed a program of studies judged by the Board to be substantially equivalent in subject matter as may be required by the Board in regulation;
(3) Have completed not less than 1 year with a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinically supervised experience in alcohol and drug counseling approved by the Board; and
(4) Have completed any additional educational requirements established by the Board in regulation.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this title, the applicant shall pass:
(1) An examination approved by the Board under this title; and
(2) The law examination on this title administered by the Board.
(c) A certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug shall practice alcohol and drug counseling under the supervision of a Board–approved alcohol and drug supervisor who is:
(1) A licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor;
(2) A certified professional counselor–alcohol and drug;
(3) A licensed clinical professional counselor;
(4) A licensed clinical marriage and family therapist;
(5) A licensed clinical professional art therapist; or
(6) A health care provider licensed under this article with documented expertise in alcohol and drug counseling.
(d) A certified associate counselor–alcohol and drug:
(1) May provide only:
(i) Alcohol and drug counseling as an employee of an agency or a facility that is certified or licensed by the State;
(ii) Alcohol and drug counseling under the supervision of a Board–approved supervisor as specified in subsection (c) of this section; and
(iii) Supervision with approval by the Board; and
(2) May not practice independently.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.