2011
Becoming an
Addictions
Counselor in
California
The Process
 Under
control of the California
State Department of Alcohol &
Drug Programs, commonly known
as ADP
ADP
 Under
current regulations, there
are no requirements to be hired
as a counselor. However…..
ADP
 Once
hired as a counselor you
must become a fully certified
counselor within 5 years
ADP
 ADP
does not certify counselors.
It oversees certifications issued
by ten approved, private certifying
bodies
ADP
Alphabetically below:


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

American Academy of Health Care Providers in
the Addictive Disorders (AAHCPAD)
Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug
Counselors
Board for Certification of Addiction Specialists
Affiliated with the California Association of
Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR)
Breining Institute
California Association for Alcohol and Drug
Educators (CAADE)
ADP





California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment
Programs (CADDTP)
California Certification Board of Alcohol and Drug
Counselors Affiliated with the California Association of
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC)
California Certification Board of Chemical Dependency
Counselors (CCBCDC)
Center for Criminality Addictions Research, Training, and
Application
Affiliated with Forensic Addictions Corrections Treatment
(FACT)
Indian Alcoholism Commission of California, Inc.
ADP



Once you start working, you must register
with one of the ten approved certifying
bodies
Normally you would register with the
organization you plan on using for
certification
Once registered you should use your
registration number on all public displays
of yourself as a counselor (business cards,
websites, etc.)
cont.
After Registering, cont.



You must have a clinical supervisor at all
times.
Once registered the five year clock starts
ticking, and during this time you must
start/finish school, take an approved test
from a certifying body, and complete at
least 2080 hours of work experience.
(some certifying bodies may require more)
Which Certification?




Each Certifying Organization sets its own
requirements
The certification you choose may depend
on the school you choose; choose
carefully!
The only classes accepted by all certifying
bodies are the ones offered by accredited
community colleges and universities.
These classes are addiction specific and
have transferable units
Which Certification?
 Certifications
are divided by
high, medium, and low
requirements
Which Certification?



The highest level certification in California
is offered by the California Association for
Alcohol/Drug Educators
Commonly known as CAADE
Accredits about 40 community colleges
and Universities in California, Nevada and
Arizona
CAADE certification




By far the highest level certification at 36
units (550 classroom hours)
Has transferable units that allow you to
continue/go back to school and get a
degree
With financial aid, usually the cheapest
way to become certified.
Credential: CATC (Certified Addiction
Treatment Counselor
Medium Certifications
21 units (315 classroom hours)
 Most well-known is CAADAC (credential:
CADC II)
Others include:






American Academy of Health Care Providers in
the Addictive Disorders (credential: CAS-CA)
California Association of Addiction Recovery
Resources (CAARR) (Credential: CAS)
Indian Alcoholism Commission of California, Inc. (IACC)
(credential: CSAC)
Center for Criminality Addictions Research, Training, and
Application ;Affiliated with Forensic Addictions
Corrections Treatment (FACT) (out of business: 2012)
California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment
Programs, CADDTP (CAODC)
Lowest Certifications




155 hours of education (10.3 units)
Breining Institute (credential: RAS)
Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug
Counselors (credential: CDAAC)
California Certification Board of Chemical
Dependency Counselors (CCBCDC)
(credential: CCDC)
All Certifications Require



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Fieldwork experience while enrolled in
school
A signed code of ethics / scope of practice
Written exam
40 hours of continuing education every two
years
What about all these rumors?



Silly, ugly, incorrect messages going
around
What you have just seen is based on the
current regulations, which will be in effect
for the foreseeable future
Trust expert opinion only
What about some new laws?



Many attempts at changing the current
law; none have succeeded
Even if a new law is passed it would not go
into effect for years
Requirements will only go up; safest thing
to do is stay in school
What Might Happen?
 ADP
might take over certification
 ADP might issue the credentials,
but keep using the certifying bodies
to assess readiness and/or do the
exams
 Licensure is likely, but will require a
Master’s Degree
What Might Happen?



Requirements will only go up
National trend is for Federal government to
require states to require degrees
Requirements will only go up
What is CAADE fighting for?



Higher standards, Higher standards,
Higher standards
Better salaries for addiction counselors
Tiered system of certification that rewards
people who stay in school
What is CAADE fighting for?





Requirements such as full certification for
intervention and prevention counselors
High standards for the Licensure level
Accreditation for all AOD schooling
Elimination of criminal background
exclusions
Grandparenting
BTW


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As a counselor, you are legally and ethically
required to report ethics violations
You must report to ADP; reporting to the
certifying body is optional
You can report anonymously, or ask that your
name be withheld
Failure to do so can result in sanctions for
you!
(877) 685-8333 (toll free complaint number)
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
be less likely be a recovering
addict
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
have more education
 National trend: degrees
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
be much better trained in
Mental Health
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
be well versed in evidencebased practices
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
be familiar with both 12step
and non-12step
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
specialize:
 Special
populations
 Criminal
Justice
 Women
 Adolescents
 CODs
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
work comfortably with multidisciplinary staff
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
be comfortable with MAT
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
be familiar with pain
management tools, e.g.
Suboxone
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
have better continuing
education
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
meet a higher standard of
care
The Addictions Counselor
of the Future
 Will
meet a higher standard of
ethics
….Substance abuse
treatment professionals
have the highest rate of
ethical violations among all
other human service
professionals.
Certified Addiction Counselors had a
12.4% higher rate of ethical violations
compared to Licensed Social
Workers, a 17.1% higher rate than
Licensed Psychologists, an 18.8%
higher rate than Licensed
Professional Counselors, and a
26.3% higher rate than Licensed
Marriage and Family Therapists.
From: “Ethical Violations: A Quantitative Study Comparing Human Service Professions”
John Gallagher, MSW, LAODAC, 2008