New Mexico LADAC License Requirements and Renewal

To earn a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor credential in New Mexico, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in counseling or a related mental health field, 276 clock hours of specialized addiction and ethics training, 1,000 hours of supervised client contact, a passing score on the National Certification Examination for Addiction Counselors (NCAC) Level 1, and approval from the Counseling and Therapy Practice Board. The New Mexico LADAC license requirements are set by the Counseling and Therapy Practice Act and the Board’s rules in Title 16, Chapter 27 of the New Mexico Administrative Code, and every step below ties back to those two sources.

Education and Specialized Training

The academic floor is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in counseling or a related mental health field. On top of the degree, you have to document 276 clock hours of specialized training broken down as follows:¹

At least 90 hours in alcohol education
At least 90 hours in drug education
At least 90 hours in counseling
A minimum of 6 hours in professional ethics

Those hours can come from the degree program itself or from separate coursework. You also need to be at least 21 years old, show good moral character consistent with the profession’s code of ethics, and sign a Board-approved ethics statement.

Supervised Clinical Experience

Before you can sit for the exam, you need supervised experience in alcohol and drug abuse counseling. The administrative code sets the floor at one year and 1,000 client contact hours of supervised practice.² The number of years required can vary with your education level; candidates with graduate degrees generally need fewer years than those with only a bachelor’s.

Who signs off on that experience matters as much as the hours themselves. An approved supervisor must hold an independent license as a LADAC, LPCC, LCSW, LMFT, licensed psychologist, or LPAT, must have completed three continuing education hours in supervision topics, and must register with the Board under a formal supervisor designation before taking you on.³

Only clinical supervision counts. The Board defines it as supportive and educative work aimed at improving how you apply counseling theory and technique with actual clients. Administrative or managerial oversight does not count. Expect regular face-to-face or virtual meetings, review of process notes, audio or video recordings, or live observations, and a written supervisory agreement and log. Virtual supervision is held to the same standard as in-person. Supervised clinical contact hours are capped at 40 per week.³

The Required Exam

New Mexico requires the National Certification Examination for Addiction Counselors (NCAC) at Level 1. This is the Board-approved exam for LADAC licensure, and it is not the National Counselor Examination (NCE) used for licensed professional counselors.² The NCAC Level 1 covers assessment, treatment planning, counseling skills, and ethical practice specific to substance use disorder treatment.

Application, Background Check, and Fees

You submit the application to the Counseling and Therapy Practice Board through the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. Along with the form, you provide official transcripts, documentation of your supervised experience, and proof that you passed the NCAC. Every applicant goes through a criminal background check.⁴

A past conviction does not automatically disqualify you. The Board reviews the circumstances and may hold a hearing before deciding to approve, deny, or place conditions on the license. The Board can also act on underlying conduct even if it never resulted in a conviction.⁴

The current Board fees for LADAC applicants and licensees:⁵

Application fee: $75, non-refundable, due at the time you apply
Initial license fee: $150, paid before the license is issued
Electronic application processing fee: $10
NCAC exam administrative fee: $25
Re-review fee: $25 if your application is denied and you resubmit
Duplicate or replacement license: $25, with a sworn affidavit of need

Plan on at least $260 in Board fees to get from application to issued license, not counting the NCAC exam itself or background check processing.

What a LADAC Can and Cannot Do

The license authorizes evaluation, assessment, diagnosis of chemical abuse and chemical dependency disorders, treatment planning, case management, crisis intervention, referral, and client education for individuals, couples, families, and groups.⁶

The hard boundary: LADACs may diagnose substance use disorders only. You can screen for mental health conditions and refer out, but you cannot assess, treat, or diagnose mental health disorders on your own authority. There is a narrow exception for co-occurring disorders treated in an integrated behavioral health setting, where a multidisciplinary team has built a treatment plan co-authorized by an independently licensed counselor or therapist, and the mental health component is supervised by that independently licensed professional.⁶

Everything you do is also limited to your actual training, education, and supervised experience. Holding the license does not authorize every activity the statute lists. If you have not been trained and supervised in it, you cannot do it.⁷

Renewal and Continuing Education

LADAC licenses renew on a two-year cycle ending September 30. During each cycle you must complete 40 contact hours of Board-approved continuing education, including at least 12 hours in ethics related to counseling and mental health. The remaining 28 hours can cover clinical techniques, research, cultural competency, or other topics relevant to addiction counseling. New Mexico accepts courses from NAADAC-approved providers.⁸

At renewal you submit proof of attendance for all 40 hours along with the renewal application and a $150 renewal fee,⁹ plus a $10 electronic renewal processing fee per year.⁵

Miss September 30 and a $100 late fee attaches to the renewal. You then have a 30-day grace period. If the license is not renewed by October 31, it expires automatically, you must stop practicing, and you have to reapply for a new license rather than renew the old one.¹⁰ The window between late-but-fixable and start-from-scratch is just 30 days.

Conduct That Can Cost You the License

Once licensed, you are subject to Board discipline on complaint from anyone, including Board members. The Counseling and Therapy Practice Act lists specific grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation, including fraud or misrepresentation in obtaining a license; a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; unprofessional or unethical conduct; illicit controlled substance use or alcohol use that impairs practice; gross negligence or marked incompetence; divulging a professional confidence, whether willfully or through carelessness; out-of-state discipline for similar conduct; knowingly practicing outside the LADAC scope; and performing conversion therapy on a minor.¹¹

Penalties range from additional supervision or mandatory education at the lower end to full license revocation at the top. A certified copy of a criminal conviction record is treated as conclusive evidence. Separately, any violation of the Counseling and Therapy Practice Act is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.¹² Practicing without a license, practicing beyond scope, or breaching confidentiality can draw both Board action and criminal prosecution.

One other obligation applies the day you start seeing clients: New Mexico makes everyone who knows or reasonably suspects child abuse or neglect a mandatory reporter, with no exception for LADACs. Reports go to local law enforcement, the Children, Youth and Families Department, or to tribal law enforcement or social services for an Indian child in Indian country. Failing to report is a misdemeanor.¹³

1
New Mexico Legislature. Changing Provisions of the Counseling and Therapy Practice Act
2
Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 16.27.11.9 – Applicants for Licensure
3
New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. 16.27.19 NMAC – Approved Supervisors
4
Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 16.27.1.18 – Criminal Convictions
5
New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. 16.27.17 NMAC – Fees
6
Justia. New Mexico Code 61-9A-5 – Scopes of Practice
7
New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. 16.27.1 NMAC – General Provisions
8
Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 16.27.16.8 – Continuing Education Requirement
9
New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. 16.27.16 NMAC – Continuing Education
10
New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. Counseling and Therapy Licensing, Registration, and Renewal
11
Justia. New Mexico Code 61-9A-26 – License and Registration Denial, Suspension, and Revocation
12
Justia. New Mexico Code 31-19-1 – Sentencing Authority
13
Justia. New Mexico Code 32A-4-3 – Duty to Report Child Abuse and Child Neglect