Accredited Membership

As an Accredited Member of the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland (ACI) you are ensuring your clients, employer and the general public of your qualifications and professional competence. When applying you must meet the required criteria, listed below.

As an Accredited Member you will have full access to benefits, resources, CPD and networking opportunities provided by ACI. Please note, before applying for full Accreditation Membership, members must be Pre-Accredited for twelve months.

This category is best suited to Addiction Professionals who have completed their studies and are working in the field of addiction.

Required Criteria

When applying for Accredited Membership, applicants must:

Show they are a fully paid Pre-Accredited Member of the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland (ACI)
Have completed a core training course in Addiction Counselling at QQI Level 8, approved by or accepted by ACI

- The training course must be a minimum of 500 course hrs of staff-student contact including theory, skills training and self-development modules. The 500 hrs shall include 100 hrs of addiction counselling practice which 100 hrs shall be supervised
- Clinical Supervisors must be accredited by the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland. Clinical Supervision shall be based on a minimum client ratio of 1-hour Clinical Supervision for every four hrs clinical work (25 hours)
- The course shall include a detailed study of at least one model of chemical and process dependency/addiction, combined with a core model of counselling and an introduction to other schools/models of addiction and counselling for comparison purposes
- Theoretical study of process/behavioural addictions i.e., sex, pornography, gambling, etc
- Theoretical study of harm reduction
- Theoretical study of relapse prevention
- A minimum of 50 hrs of personal therapy is required during the educational component of the Addiction Counselling Course. These hours may include certified participation in a personal therapeutic group process to a maximum of 50% of the total requirement (i.e., 25 hrs of personal therapeutic group process may be combined with 25 hrs of 1:1 personal therapy
- Personal therapeutic engagements may occur in person or online. Trainee counsellors may be given credit for personal therapy undertaken within the previous 5 years (subject to approval by the ACI Accreditation Committee)

Have completed 400 hrs of counselling work on a 1:10 supervision basis which reflects a variety of presenting addiction problems

- This supervision must be undertaken on a 1:1 basis with an accredited supervisor either in person or online
- During these 400 hours of clinical work the applicant is required to have clinical Supervision on a ratio of 1-hour Clinical Supervision for every 10 hours client work. The Clinical Supervisor must be accredited by the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland 8 CLG. (Total 40 hours Clinical Supervision). This supervision may be undertaken either in person or online

Submit a Clinical Supervisor’s report confirming completion of 100 hrs of clinical practice during the educational component of 500 hrs
Members who have completed their educational and post training experiential work but are not yet accredited as full members are:

- Obliged to have Clinical Supervision for a minimum of 1 hour on a monthly basis
- Clinical Supervisors must be accredited by ACI

Accept and work within the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland Code of Ethics and Practice
Subscribe to the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland Constitution
If in private practive submit evidence of Professional Personal Indemnity Insurance
Subscribe to the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland Constitution

Benefits

Accredited Membership offers a number of benefits, including:

Certificate for public display
Membership ID Card
Listing on the ACI 'Find a Counsellor' directory
Access to CPD courses and networking events
Quarterly ACI Member eNewsletter
Regular updates and information relevant within the field of addiction
Support from a National Body representing your interests
Permission to promote membership on stationary and other communications, including digital i.e. websites, social media
Permission to promote membership in any publicity or advertisment

Cost

Membership runs annually from August to July:

Accredited Membership
€200
per year

Easy Payment Option

We can facilitate an instalment plan to help make payment more manageable. If you would like to explore this option, please contact our office to speak with a member of the team.

Membership Renewal

Members must renew their membership annually by July 31st, with payment of a non-refundable fee:

Accredited Membership Renewal
€200
per year

When renewing, you must have completed a min of 30 CPD credits annually, as stated in the CPD Framework
Excluding exceptional circumstances, a member who does not renew within six months of 31st July will forfeit membership
Renewal applications must include a letter from your Clinical Supervisor verifying previous 12 month supervision

DOWNLOAD RENEWAL FORM

Easy Payment Option

We can facilitate an instalment plan to help make payment more manageable. If you would like to explore this option, please contact our office to speak with a member of the team.

How to Apply

Apply online, or download the application form and return to the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland's office via email or post.

Please refer to the the Membership Criteria to assist when applying. As part of your application you must also download the Supervisor Report, see below, and forward to your Clinical Supervisor for completion.