How to Check Credentials

Checking credentials of the employees of a rehab facility is important, if you intend to trust your loved one’s recovery to them. There are many designations people in the rehab industry can use after their names, creating a virtual alphabet soup that is left up to you to decipher. Researching this aspect of a facility should only be part of your vetting process.

When you are searching, and doing research, ask for the credentials of staff at the facilities you are considering. If the facility has a website, look for a staff page that shows this information. Ask the person you talk with what the letters mean, and what organization awards those designations. Make notes for these, and then check them out. Generally, you will need to use your judgement on which ones are worth the paper they are written on, since none of these organizations will say they do a poor job of awarding certifications. You may find some indication of how well respected they are by doing a thorough search.

There are basically 3 categories you will need to concern yourself with:

• Professional Associations
• Independent Certification Organizations, whether profit or non-profit
• State Issued Professional Licensing, Certifications, and other credentials

Professional Associations
Professional Associations are often organizations that essentially anyone who works in a field, or sometimes even just has an interest in, can join. They usually charge a membership fee to belong, and they may offer seminars, workshops, and publications in the area of interest, but they sometimes do little, if any, vetting of their members because they are usually a self-organized special interest group. These are noted here because someone with no other certifications can make themselves sound good if they mention these organizations.

Independent Certification Organizations
Independent Certification Organizations are a mixed bunch. These types of organizations are numerous, as are the letter designations they hand out. Some of these are very prestigious, and go to great lengths to assure that people receiving certifications from them are qualified and skilled in the field. Some may require only that the person seeking certification pays some money and takes an online test, while others may have requirements that are more difficult to obtain or fake. Some seem to exist only as a money-making venture for the founder, and are happy to certify anyone, as long as they pay the fee.

Look up the credentials on the internet, find the site of the organization that supplies it, and check the list of requirements to see if you think it is a good type of certification. Certifications that are desirable will include initial educational requirements, continuing education, and time spent on actual experience in the field, among other things.

State Issued Professional Licensing, Certifications, and other credentials
Licenses, certifications, and credentials issued by a state are often required for people to work in a field and use a particular title. For instance, all states require that someone working as a medical doctor or a nurse be licensed. They must be, or they are in violation of the law. Some states issue licenses or other required permits for practicing psychology and counseling services, and some even go so far as to have specific licenses for people working as substance abuse counselors.

Below is a list of websites for each state, with a link to the department responsible for issuing licenses or permits in the field of substance abuse and rehab. Click on the state name to expand the information for that state. Some of the states do not have the information searchable on their site, so if you cannot find what you need on the linked pages, make a call to that department and ask about that state’s licensing, including if specific individuals are licensed or not.

Individual and facility licenses are sometimes issued by different departments. To make sure the facility itself meets the state’s licensing requirements, please visit Drug Rehab Licensing – State Agencies.

The Federation of State Medical Boards also has information about medical certification.