CAADE Certification: Do You Need It?

Category: CAADE Certification

While becoming a drug and alcohol counselor is a chance to take on a rewarding career where you can help others heal from addiction, there’s no getting around the fact that there’s a great deal to learn about the classes you have to take and the certifications you have to earn, such as CAADE certification or CCAPP certification.

At Sober College School of Addiction Studies, we can provide you with all of the coursework you need in order to become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC). We offer NAADAC-approved, IC&RC-approved and CCAPP-approved curriculum. But what does this mean? And what about CAADE certification? Let’s break it down.

NAADAC – This is the National Association for Addiction Professionals. This organization was created in 1972 with the goal of supporting professional counselors as well as people struggling with addiction.

The NAADAC has created a set of standards for counselor training education, and Sober College’s coursework adheres to these standards, which is why we are an NAADAC-approved education provider. Organizations such as NAADAC, CAADE, CCAPP and others are known as Certifying Organizations (CO).

The NAADAC also provides continuing education for its members, hosts training workshops throughout the country, and hosts an annual conference. Additionally, this group advocates for legislative changes that support patient care and addiction treatment.  

CCAPP – This is the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals, and we’ve written about this organization in previous blog posts. In addition to acting as a Certifying Organization, this organization provides continuing education and support for addiction professionals. To learn more about CCAPP, click here.

At Sober College, we are a CCAPP-approved education provider, which means that our curriculum meets the standards set by CCAPP. As you read on and learn more about CAADE certification, you’ll understand why this CCAPP approval has been so important, especially in the last two years.

CAADE Certification – The CAADE is the California Association for Alcohol & Drug Educators. This organization also provides continuing education for addiction counselors, as well as setting professional standards and accreditation standards for addiction studies education. 

Here’s where it gets confusing. In 2017, the California Department of Health Care Services basically revoked CAADE’s accreditation as a CO. This meant that if you were attending a school that was CAADE-approved, it was possible that your coursework would no longer be valid. Fortunately, some schools have multiple certifications, such as with CCAPP. If your school was CCAPP-approved, your coursework was still acceptable to the state of California.

Of course, if you aren’t in California, you don’t really need to worry about this situation, as CAADE certification and CAAPP certification only apply to counselors and students in California.

IC&RC – This stands for International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium, which is a mouthful to say the least. But all it really means is that this is an international organization that has created comprehensive exams for those wishing to become addiction professionals.

Here’s a good analogy. The IC&RC is a lot like the College Board, but instead of providing SAT, ACT and AP exams; IC&RC provides exams for people who wish to become addiction specialists. Our curriculum is IC&RC-approved, which means that our curriculum will provide you with all of the information you need in order to pass the IC&RC exam and become a CADC.

How Do You Become A CADC?

There are several steps that you need to take in order to become either a CADC I or CADC II, including:

1. Complete Your Classwork – You will need to complete 315 hours of classroom work, and this includes six courses ranging in topics from Law & Ethics to Case Management. We can help you finish this in just six months!

2. Complete 255 Practicum Hours – During these “internship” hours, you will be working at an approved treatment facility and will be under supervision of a qualified instructor as well as supervisors at the facility.

3. Pass The IC&RC Exam – After you’ve completed your classwork and practicum hours, you must take this comprehensive exam. At Sober College, we do offer IC & RC exam test prep, which definitely can help prepare you for this rigorous.

4. Complete Your Supervised Work Experience – The number of hours required vary between CADC I and CADC II. Your practicum hours will be included in these hours, and while you will be working under a supervisor, this is a paid-work experience.

What About Other Certifications?

One of the most confusing things about this profession is the myriad of acronyms you have to learn as well as the fact that every state has its own acronyms for different types of addiction professionals and its own requirements for certification.

While a CADC is a fairly well-known type of addiction specialist, it’s not the only certification option in many states. For instance, if you live in Missouri, we can help you work toward becoming a CADC as well as a Certified Reciprocal Prevention Specialist (CRPS), a Missouri Advanced Certified Substance Use Prevention Professional (MACSAPP) and several other certifications.

It can be very confusing to know precisely what you need to do and what training you need to complete. While Sober College is based in California, we provide coursework for students throughout the United States. Basically, unless you live in Montana, Alaska or North Dakota, Sober College can help you. Rather than worry about CAADE certification or NAADAC certification or what type of counselor you can become, just give us a call and speak to one of our enrollment specialists. We can help you figure it all out and get you on the road to becoming a drug and alcohol counselor.