Determine if you are eligible to apply for the scholarship:
Basic Eligibility
You may be eligible to apply to receive a scholarship for addiction counseling training.
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, you must:
- Be a Colorado resident.
- Be on a path to becoming a licensed Certified Addiction Technician (CAT), Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS), or a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC).
- Apply to the scholarship program.
- Get accepted into an approved clinical addiction counseling training program within six months of accepting the scholarship award.
- Complete your coursework and required hours within 18 months for CAT or 24 months for CAS and LAC.
- Work in a Colorado Health Professional Shortage Area at a CHSC-certified site for six months after becoming fully licensed as a CAT, CAS, or LAC.
- The practice must accept public insurance and offer discounted services to low-income and/or uninsured patients on a sliding fee scale and must follow CHSC guidelines on direct clinical care.
The next Colorado Health Service Corps Scholarship Program for Addiction Counselors application round will be open from March 1-March 30, 2025.
Colorado Health Service Corps approved sites
- Download a list or use the map of Colorado Health Service Corps Approved Sites.
Scholarship Award and Service Obligation
The scholarship must be applied to the cost of tuition and fees up to $5,000, however, the award will not exceed the cost of any clinical addiction counseling training program.
You must agree to work for a full-time term of 6 months at the CHSC site approved for substance use disorder and meet the direct clinical care and hourly requirements during the entire service obligation. The scholar must be employed by the CHSC-approved site for the six-month service obligation.
Additional eligibility details
- You are not required to be licensed at the time of application.
- You are ineligible to apply if you have a conditional license as a result of a disciplinary action by your professional licensing board.
- You must provide a letter from an approved training institution of acceptance into a clinical addiction counseling training program within 6 months of accepting an award.
- You have 18 months to complete the CAT training program and the required clinical supervision hours.
- You have 24 months to complete the CAS and LAC training program and the required clinical supervision hours.
Due to recent legislative changes to HB 20-1206, Sunset Mental Health Professionals, you are encouraged to review the following information from the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration:
- Coursework requirements (web page)
- Training requirements for CAT (PDF)
- Training requirements for CAS (PDF)
- Training requirements for LAC (PDF)
- The Handbook for Addiction Counselors provides more information about the Addiction Counselor Clinical Training Program.
Questions
Email Kathy Jacobson at kathy.jacobson@state.co.us.