Breining Institute credentials are held by healthcare professionals located in 49 U.S. States, 20 countries, and are held by U.S. Armed Forces personnel located throughout the world.
Breining Institute offers these nationally administered credentials so that health care professionals may demonstrate their specialized and advanced training in certain areas of practice. Please note that these credentials do not independently authorize an individual to practice without underlying professional certification or licensure, and you should check and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to you within your region.
RAS Credential Eligibility
The Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS) Credential is available to individuals with an underlying healthcare professional license or certification from a State-approved or recognized, or nationally-recognized, licensing or certification agency, when they meet the RAS standards, document their eligibility, and pass the qualifying ACE Exam:
- Must hold current license or certificate in healthcare profession
- Minimum one year (or 2,000 hours) experience in health care profession
- Minimum 155 hours formal education related to alcohol and other drugs / substance use disorders (may be included in studies already completed for your healthcare license or certification)
- Pass the nationally-administered Addiction Counselor Exam (“ACE” Exam)
$75 application fee.
No membership dues.
Renewal is every 2 years.
Eligibility Checklist
You will need to document the following:
- CURRENT CERTIFICATION OR LICENSE
- Must hold current healthcare professional license or certification from a State-approved or recognized, or nationally-recognized, licensing or certification agency
- EDUCATION and CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
- Minimum education and clinical experience required for entry-level Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS):
- 155 hours formal AOD education and 2,000 hours (or one year) clinical experience
- Advanced Registered Addiction Specialist – Level II (RAS II):
- AA Degree in healing arts or sciences and 3 years clinical experience; or
- 450 hours formal AOD education and 5 years clinical experience; or
- Seven (7) years clinical experience (must have minimum of 155 hours formal AOD education)
- Advanced Registered Addiction Specialist – Level III (RAS III):
- BA Degree in healing arts or sciences and 3 years clinical experience; or
- AA Degree in healing arts or sciences and 5 years clinical experience; or
- Eight (8) years clinical experience (must have minimum of 155 hours formal AOD education)
- Masters Level – Registered Addiction Specialist (M-RAS):
- MA or Doctorate Degree in healing arts or sciences and 3 years clinical experience; or
- BA Degree in healing arts or sciences and 5 years clinical experience; or
- Ten (10) years clinical experience (must have minimum of 155 hours formal AOD education)
- Minimum education and clinical experience required for entry-level Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS):
You will need to pass the qualifying ACE Exam:
- ADDICTION COUNSELOR EXAM
- The qualifying exam for the RAS Credential is the Addiction Counselor Exam or “ACE” Exam, available online daily, which may be accessed by your own computer, tablet or phone. The ACE Exam was developed, reviewed and validated by nationally-recognized subject matter and psychometric experts to test for the necessary skills and knowledge of an addiction professional.
- You will only need to pass the ACE Exam one time, and will not need to take it again to upgrade to higher-level RAS Credentials. For example, if you hold the RAS, you will not need to take the ACE to upgrade to the RAS II.
- Here is a link to request the ACE Exam: ACE Exam Request Form
Acceptable Substitutes for Experience Requirement
The minimum clinical experience required is 2,000 hours (or 1 year)
Acceptable substitutes for up to 4,000 hours of experience may include a degree. A degree in the healing arts may substitute as follows:
- AA or AS degree may substitute for 2,000 hours of clinical experience
- BA or BS, MA or MS, or Doctorate degree may substitute for 4,000 hours of clinical experience
Renewal Requirement
- Every two years
- Continuing Education (CE) requirement every two years is 30 hours
Links
Online RAS Application
Use this online form to submit your RAS Application. Please have your supporting documents ready to upload, or you may send them to us by email to College@Breining.edu
Clinical Experience Verification Form
This online verification form should be completed by a qualified employer representative or representatives, in order to verify the required experience. Please provide the employer representative this link to the form, which may be completed and submitted online: https://www.breining.edu/index.php/1702241604-2/clinical-experience-form/
ACE Exam Content, Study Guides, Online Tutorial
This page includes a description of the ACE Exam Content Areas, as well as links to study materials and an online tutorial.
RAS Credential Renewal – Online Form
You may use this online Renewal form to RENEW your RAS credentials up to one year prior to your renewal date. You may also UPGRADE your current RAS Credentials at the same time that you renew, using this form.
- No additional charge to upgrade from RAS to advanced-level RAS II, RAS III or M-RAS Credentials
- Be sure to designate within the form that you are requesting an upgrade, and include supporting documentation within this form or by sending it to us by email at College@Breining.edu
RAS Application and ACE Exam Fee Payment
If you have not previously submitted credit card authorization for the RAS Application Fee or the ACE Exam Fee, you may select one of the links below to make a payment:
- RAS Credential Application Fee only: $75
- ACE Exam Fee only: $175
- RAS Application and ACE Exam Fees: $250
Verify Credential
To verify whether someone has been awarded the RAS Credential from Breining Institute, select the following link to the International Certified / Credentialed Counselors (CCCo) database: International CCCo Verification
Registered Service Marks
These credentials are registered service marks of Breining Institute, and may only be used by professionals who have been awarded these credentials by Breining Institute:
“Registered Addiction Specialist” and “RAS” credentials: Service Mark Reg. No. 65739, Class Number 41
“Addiction Counselor Exam” and “ACE” are registered marks of Breining Institute: Service Mark Reg. Nos. 68184, 304796, Class Number 41