It is estimated that as many as 20 million Americans suffer from substance abuse addiction. While that’s a huge number, the good news is that addiction can be treated and successfully. Of course, we need amazing people to facilitate the recovery process and that’s where drug and alcohol certification comes in.
If you long to help others heal from addiction, a career as a drug and alcohol counselor might be a perfect fit. Whether you’ve struggled with addiction yourself, had a family member or friend struggling with addiction or you just want to help others live their best life, this can be a highly rewarding career.
There are several different types of drug and alcohol certification. At Sober College, we can help students completed their coursework toward becoming a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC) or a Prevention Specialist (PS). Here’s a quick look at each of these professions.
What Does A CADC Do?
A CADC is a person who typically works in a treatment facility. In some cases, this will be an outpatient facility and some CADCs will work at inpatient treatment facilities. If you work at an outpatient facility, you typically will be working a 9 to 5 job, while inpatient facilities will need some personnel on hand 24 hours a day.
The CADC has many responsibilities, including:
1. Individual and Group Counseling
At every facility, either inpatient or outpatient, counseling will be needed. Sometimes a CADC might interact with just one individual and sometimes you might lead a group session. During your education, practicum and supervised experience, you will learn the best practices for how to lead these often emotionally-charged counseling sessions.
2. Working With Families
Addiction is tough on families and friends, and CADCs often work with families during the rehab and recovery process. A CADC might facilitate a family counseling session or perhaps help to create an intervention plan.
3. Assessing The Whole Patient
While CADCs are not medical professionals, they do know quite a bit about the types of issues that addicts often face. For instance, you might see a patient with an eating disorder and a drug addiction or perhaps a person will be suffering from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and a drug addiction.
When it comes to recovery, this is far more successful if we treat the patient for all of the issues they face. Many people suffering from addiction will have a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder, and as a CADC, you can make recommendations to help treat all of the issues your patient faces in order to help them maximize their recovery.
4. Creating Treatment Plans
Once you’ve done some assessments, you’ll need to work with the patient as well as other health professionals to create a comprehensive treatment plan. As a CADC, you won’t just work with patients, you also will work with a network of doctors, therapists and others who can help a person heal. This includes developing plans for long-term recovery. After all, recovery doesn’t end after you leave a treatment facility, it’s a day-to-day process, and people need a solid support system in place for a successful recovery.
5. Paperwork, Paperwork & More Paperwork
All of this hard work results in an abundance of paperwork, and this might not sound like the most exciting part of the job, but it’s definitely crucial. You will learn quite a bit about this paperwork during your Case Management course, which is part of the 315 hours of education all CADCs must complete.
How To Become A CADC
If you plan on becoming an addiction counselor in California, your first step will be to become a Registered Alcohol Drug Technician (RADT). This is actually a state requirement, but fortunately, it’s fairly easy to earn your certification. There are two levels of RADT, RADT I and RADT II.
A RADT I must complete a nine-hour orientation in order to apply for a RADT credential. A RADT II must complete 25 hours of training and 20 of these hours must be continuing education from a CCAPP-approved provider.
There are many jobs out there for RADTs, and while these are considered entry-level jobs, you will gain some valuable experience and build up a network of professionals in your field. Once you earn your RADT, you can start working toward earning your CADC certification, and we can help.
There are three levels of CADC – CADC I, CADC II, CADC III. To earn any of these certifications, you must complete 315 hours of approved education and complete 255 practicum hours.
These practicum hours are basically internship hours, where you work in an approved facility to experience firsthand all of the responsibilities a CADC will encounter. Additionally, you must pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor Exam.
Those are the basics that all CADCs must fulfill. Beyond that, you will need to complete a set amount of supervised work hours. The amount of hours you must complete depends upon which CADC certification you are working toward.
If you don’t have a college degree, you can work toward becoming either a CADC I or a CADC II. A CADC I without any college degree must complete 3,000 hours of supervised work experience. If you do have an associate’s degree in behavioral science or an allied mental health profession, you need only complete 2,080 hours of supervised work experience.
For the CADC II certification, all candidates, regardless of education level, will have to complete 6,000 hours of certified work experience. This basically equals about three years of paid work experience under a supervisor. For the CADC III certification, you must have completed a bachelor’s degree. CADC III candidates also must complete 4,000 of supervised work experience.
Keep in mind, your 255 practicum hours will count toward this supervised work experience. Beyond the practicum, you also will be paid for this supervised work, as well. Once you’ve earned your drug and alcohol certification, you will have to renew this credential and 50 continuing education hours will be required for renewal.
What Does A Prevention Specialist Do?
A Prevention Specialist (PS) basically works at the opposite end of the spectrum. While a CADC is there to help those already struggling with addiction, the PS is person who works to help prevent substance abuse as well as many other risky behaviors.
Prevention Specialists will work with a variety of organizations in order to develop prevention programs. The programs might relate to many different issues, not just alcohol and drug-related issues. For instance, you might create an awareness and prevention program to educate students about sexually-transmitted diseases or mental health issues, such as depression and suicide.
As a Prevention Specialist, you may work with liaisons from schools, churches, youth organizations, community groups, local police departments and other organizations. You might train volunteers, develop programs and perhaps even write grants.
How To Become A Prevention Specialist
In order to earn a Prevention Specialist credential, you must complete 120 hours of approved prevention education. Fifty of these hours must be AOD-specific (Alcohol and Other Drug) and six of the hours must relate to ethics.
In addition, you will need to complete 120 practicum hours and pass the IC& RC Prevention Specialist Exam. After you’ve completed practicum and passed the exam, you will need 2,000 hours of work experience to finally earn your credential.
Our Programs: Learn Online Or In-Class
At Sober College, we offer in-class and online options for those wishing to become a CADC, and we also offer online instruction for those wishing to become Prevention Specialists.
The CADC program includes all the education you’ll need for drug and alcohol certification. The courses can be taken in-class, and we meet for one weekend each month at our Los Angeles-area campus. For those who live elsewhere or those who just wish to complete work online, we have two online programs.
Our first online program for CADCs can be completed in just six months. You can take one class per month and complete the entire program in just six months. If you need more time, or wish to work even faster, we do offer a self-paced program that can be completed in as little as three months.
Of course, this program also is a good option if you need a bit more than six months to complete the program. You can take as long as 18 months to complete the self-paced program.
For Prevention Specialists, we offer an online program that can be completed in as little as six months. With all of our programs, we offer rolling admissions, so you can begin learning at any time. To learn more about our drug and alcohol certification programs, click on the Counselor Training tab on our home page. This will provide you with details about CADC education as well as Prevention Specialist education.
What is your federal school code for FASFA?