If you wish to become a certified alcohol and drug counselor, you probably have plenty of questions about the certification process as well as the day-to-day tasks you’ll handle as a CADC. At Sober College, not only can we help you fulfill several requirements for CADC certification, but we also can provide you with ample information about the process and your future career.
What Is A CADC?
A certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC) is a professional who specializes in many aspects of addiction treatment. In general, a CADC will handle a wide variety of tasks known as the 12 Core Functions of Addiction Counseling.
While these “functions” do include individual, group and family counseling, there are many other tasks including patient screening and assessment, treatment planning, crisis intervention, case management and more. A certified drug and alcohol counselor might work in a variety of facilities including inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, hospitals, community centers, jails & prisons as well as private practice.
CADC is a common term for an addiction counselor, but the names tend to vary based on your location. For instance, in California, you might be known as a CADC, while in Texas you might be known as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC). In another state, you might be known as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).
While the names differ, the requirements for ADC certification and LADC certification often are identical to those for CADCs. In many cases, you also do not need to have earned a bachelor’s degree or any college degree and only need to have earned your high school diploma or the equivalent.
5 Steps To CADC Certification
1.Complete Your Educational Requirements
The first step toward becoming a CADC will be to complete your educational units, and most states require 315 units from an approved education provider. At Sober College of Addiction Studies, our CADC curriculum is CCAPP-approved, NAADAC-approved and IC&RC-approved.
CCAPP is California’s credentialling board for addiction professionals, which is we our college is headquartered. NAADAC is the Association for Addiction Professionals and is a national organization that advocates for addiction specialists as well as those affected by addiction. They also offer certification for various types of counselors.
Because we are NAADAC-approved and IC&RC (you’ll read more about them later on in this article), this means that our addiction studies curriculum can be used throughout the United States. The only exceptions include Alaska, Montana and North Dakota.
Our coursework can be completed entirely online and in just six months. If you were to attend a traditional university or college, it could take several years to complete the coursework and cost significantly more. Our total cost for tuition is $4,250, which includes all class materials aside from books, which generally cost between $300 to $500 in total.
2. Complete Your Practicum Experiences
To become a CADC, you must complete 255 hours of a supervised fieldwork practicum. This is like an internship and during the practicum experience, you must complete all 12 Core Functions at your internship site, and this requirement also states you must spend a minimum of 21 hours with each function. The internship site must be approved, but you have many options such as hospitals and treatment facilities (both inpatient and outpatient).
Once you complete your first class at Sober College (Introduction & Overview of Drug and Alcohol Addiction), you can begin working toward the completion of your practicum experiences. By the time you complete our coursework, you also will have completed your practicum as we consider this part of our alcohol and drug abuse counselor curriculum.
3. Pass The IC&RC Exam
The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) is an international organization that provides standardized testing for many types of addiction professionals, including CADCs. The exam a CADC must take is the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) exam, which has about a 70% pass rate. Our curriculum as well as your practicum experiences will prepare you for the IC&RC ADC exam.
4. Complete Your Supervised Work Experience
Once you’ve completed your educational units and practicum, you can begin working as a supervised CADC. All candidates must complete a specific number of supervised work experience hours before earning their certification. The number of hours differs by state and also depends on which type of CADC you wish to become.
For instance, in California, which is similar to many states, to become a CADC-I, you will need to complete 3,000 hours of supervised work experience. If you have earned an associate’s degree in behavioral science or a similar field, the requirement will be only 2,080 hours.
For a CADC-II, you must complete 6,000 hours, regardless of any level of college completed. A CADC-III needs just 4,000 hours, but this individual also must have earned a bachelor’s degree. For all three levels, this will be paid work and your practicum hours also will be included in this total.
5. Earn Continuing Education Units
Once you have earned your initial CADC certification, you will need to renew the credential about every two years. To renew, you will need to complete a set amount of continuing education (CE) units.
These vary based on your state, and often your state’s credentialing board website will have a section where you can find CE unit options and you also can check out resources such as the NAADAC website, which often has opportunities for those needing to complete CE units.
Get Started Now At Sober College
If you are ready to start working toward your CADC certification, you can apply to Sober College at any time. We offer rolling admissions, so you can begin your studies whenever it’s convenient for you. To apply, just head to the Get Started tab on our website and select Apply or Speak With Someone if you have any questions about our program.
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