Certified Addiction Counselor, Level I (CAC I)

Candidates for CAC I must meet the following criteria:

1. Have a diploma from an accredited tertiary education institute with emphasis in addiction and counseling related subjects and provide an official or student copy of the transcript to APCCAP.
2. Have three years full-time or 6,000 hours (not more than 2,000 per year) of supervised experience in alcoholism, drug abuse or addiction counseling.
3. Document 270 contact hours of education and training in alcoholism and/or drug abuse or related counseling subjects.
4. At least 6 hours of HIV/AIDS and 6 hours professional ethics training as part of their total hours. Training must be within past five years.
5. Read the APCCAP Code of Ethics and sign the statement on the application affirming adherence to this code.
6. Submit completed application with all necessary documents and the required fee to APCCAP. All sections of the application must be completed.
7. Take and pass the CAC I examination.

Certified Addiction Counselor, Level II (CAC II)

Candidates for CAC II must meet the following criteria:

1. Have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with emphasis in addiction and counseling related subjects and provide an official or student copy of the transcript to APCCAP.
2. Have five years full-time or 10,000 hours (not more than 2,000 per year) of supervised experience in alcoholism, drug abuse or addiction counseling.
3. Document 450 contact hours of education and training in alcoholism and/or drug abuse or related counseling subjects.
4. All counselors must document at least 6 hours of HIV/AIDS and 6 hours professional ethics training as part of their total hours. Training must be within past five years.
5. Read the APCCAP Code of Ethics and sign the statement on the application affirming adherence to this code.
6. Submit completed application with the required fee to APCCAP. All sections of the application must be completed.
7. Take and pass the CAC II examination.

Senior Addiction Counselor (SAC)

Candidates for SAC must meet the following criteria:

1. Have a master’s degree in addiction and counseling related subjects from an accredited college or university.
2. Have five years or 10,000 hours of supervised alcoholism, drug abuse or addiction counseling experience. Three years (or 6,000) of that experience must be post-master’s degree.
3. Document 500 contact hours of education in specific alcoholism, drug abuse or addiction counseling. This education may be from any time in the educational background and may be from college courses, seminars, workshops, etc.
4. All counselors must document at least 6 hours of HIV/AIDS and 6 hours professional ethics training as part of their total hours. Training must be within past five years.
5. Read the APCCAP Code of Ethics and sign the statement on the application affirming adherence to this code.
6. Submit completed application with the required fee to APCCAP. All sections of the application must be completed.
7. Take and pass the SAC examination.

Certification Procedures and Examination

Certification process

Anyone desiring to attain Certified Addiction Counselor Level I/ Level II or Senior Addiction Counselor credential should first complete the certification training course, then submit a complete application and portfolio to APCCAP, and take and pass the written examination.

Length of Credential

Initial credential of CAC I, CAC II and SAC is valid for a period of 2 years from the date of credential issue. After 2 years, candidate will be required to re-credential.

Procedure for Re-credentialing

In order to maintain the quality of a credential which is meaningful to its holders and to the community of clients, it is essential that credential holders, regardless of experience or prior training, maintain currency in all of the recognized skill groups and are knowledgeable in the most modern counseling techniques. Certified Addiction Counselors who wish to maintain their credential with APCCAP are required 40 CE units (40 contact hours of professional training) in the past 24-month credentialing period. For details, please refer to Continue Education (link to Continue Education page).

Upgrade

Upgrading from CAC I to CAC II

• CAC I will NOT be automatically upgraded to CAC II upon attainment of the necessary years of experience and hours of education.
• Once the experience and training for CAC Level II have been achieved, the counselor can choose to sit for the CAC Level II examination. Partaking in the certification training course is not required for upgrade of credential.

Upgrading from CAC Level to SAC Level

• All candidates for the Senior Addiction Counselor must submit a complete new application packet and sit for the SAC examination. Partaking in the certification course is not required for upgrade of credential.

List of Certified Addiction Counselors

The list of certified addiction counselors in this website contains their names, certification numbers and the expiry dates of their current certification.

Important Notice: