ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

(a) To be eligible for a license under this chapter, a person must: (1) be at least 18 years of age; (2) hold an associate degree or a more advanced degree; (3) have completed: (A) 135 hours, or nine semester hours, specific to substance abuse disorders and treatment and an additional 135 hours, or nine semester hours, specific or related to chemical dependency counseling; (B) 4,000 hours of approved supervised experience working with chemically dependent persons; and (C) 300 hours of approved supervised field work practicum; (4) provide two letters of reference from chemical dependency counselors; (5) pass a written examination approved by the department; (6) submit a case presentation to the test administrator; (7) be determined by the department to be worthy of the public trust and confidence; (8) successfully complete the chemical dependency counselor examination under Section 504.156; (9) sign a written agreement to comply with the standards of ethics approved by the department; and (10) provide to the department written assurance that the applicant has access to a peer assistance program. (b) The department may waive the requirement under Subsection (a)(10) if the department determines that a peer assistance program is not reasonably available to the license holder.