NAADAC is the national association for addiction professionals, and if you wish to work toward a career as an addiction counselor in the United States, this advocacy group will serve as an important resource for you. Here’s a quick look at the NAADAC and how to get started on the road toward earning your CADC certification.
NAADAC Has A 50-Year History
This organization originally called the National Association of Alcoholism Counselors and Trainers, got its start in 1972. As the name suggests, in its early days, the organization focused mainly on issues related to alcoholism and not on drug abuse or other types of addiction.
In 1982, it was renamed the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). Eventually, the name was changed again in 2001 to NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. In this way, it provides support for counselors that help patients with many types of addiction issues, and not just for those with a substance use disorder.
The NAADAC works to support and advocate for addiction professionals, but also for people who are suffering from addiction and their families and communities. They advocate for issues such as expanding behavioral health services and providing low-cost and free treatment for substance abuse and mental health care, as well as decriminalizing drugs such as marijuana, addressing the opioid crisis, addiction prevention, intervention and much more.
NAADAC Offers Many Resources For Counselors
As a new counselor in the addiction profession, you will be handling a wide range of tasks, and while you will have support from your co-workers and supervisors, it’s a good idea to take advantage of some of the educational resources provided by the NAADAC.
NAADAC offers free webinars on a wide range of topics, including clinical skills, co-occurring mental health disorders, demographic-specific treatment issues, advocacy, general addiction treatment and much more. NAADAC members also receive discounts on books purchased at the NAADAC bookstore.
NAADAC members can receive free options to earn Continuing Education (CE) hours and reduced fees for NAADAC-sponsored events and conferences. Members also receive a free subscription to Advances in Addiction & Recovery, the NAADAC’s magazine and 50% off a subscription to Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly.
NAADAC Is A Credentialing Organization
Advocacy is only part of what NAADAC is about, as they also offer several levels of certifications for addiction professionals. Certifications include National Certified Addiction Counselor (NCAC), Master Addiction Counselor (MAC), National Certified Adolescent Addictions Counselor (NCAAC) and several others.
Additionally, they also approve the curriculum of colleges and schools that provide the educational requirements to become certified counselors. At Sober College of Addiction Studies, our curriculum is NAADAC-approved, which means that students around the country can use our program to complete their educational requirements.
Our Program
At Sober College, we provide the educational units required to become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, or CADC. In some states, a CADC is known as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) or another similar term. However, the educational requirements for this job are the same, whatever the name might be.
Our curriculum is NAADAC-approved, IC&RC-approved and CCAPP-approved, and can be used by students throughout the United States. The only exceptions include Alaska, Montana and North Dakota.
Best of all, Sober College’s program takes just six months to complete, and you can take the courses entirely online. We’ve been providing high-quality online education for many years and our Moodle online platform is easy-to-learn and use. We offer plenty of instructional support, as well, and all of our professors have either worked or currently are working as addiction specialists.
Once you complete your educational requirements and the required fieldwork practicum hours (which you can complete during your studies at Sober College), you will have learned all you need to pass the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam.
After that, you will be required to complete a specific number of supervised work experience hours. These will be paid work hours, and you will be handling all of the typical day-to-day tasks that certified addiction counselors handle, it simply means that you will be working under a supervisor as you help patients through the treatment and recovery process.
Once these hours are complete, you can apply for your credential either through NAADAC or your state’s credentialing board. Keep in mind, this credential will need to be renewed every two years and, in order to renew the credential, you must complete a specific number of Continuing Education (CE) units.
The NAADAC offers many opportunities for counselors needing to complete their CE units. Your state’s credentialing board, such as CCAPP in California, also will provide you with resources to help you complete your CE.
Enroll At Sober College Today!
We offer rolling admissions, so you can jumpstart your new career at any time. To enroll in our NAADAC-approved addiction studies program, just head to the Get Started tab on our homepage. From there you can either enroll or if you have questions, fill out our quick contact form, which is located on the Speak With Someone tab.
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