Illinois

Substance Abuse Counseling Certification in Illinois

Illinois has four different titles for addiction counselors. The four levels are known as the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), the Certified Reciprocal Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor (CRADC), the Certified Supervisor Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor (CSADC) and the other main title is s the Certified Advanced Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor (CAADC). We will cover all four titles and the requirements for each.

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Requirements for CADC

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • High school diploma or GED. However, having an Associate’s or higher is recommended as this can reduce both your education requirements and your supervised work experience requirements.
  • You will need to accumulate 4000 hours of supervised AODA work with clients.
  • This is lowered to 3000 hours if you have an Associate’s degree in a Behavioral Science from an accredited institution of higher learning.
  • If you have a Bachelor’s or higher in a Behavioral Science you will only need 2000 hours.
  • This experience must be working within the 12 Core Functions: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning; Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
  • You will need 150 hours of supervision from a qualified supervisor and this must include a minimum of 10 hours of supervision during work in each of the 12 Core Functions.
  • You will need at least 225 hours of education, 100 hours must be AODA specific including 15 hours of
  • Addictions treatment services for women and their families, 15 hours of treatment services for adolescents and their families and 6 hours of professional ethics and responsibilities. You must also have at least 119 hours in the following areas: Professional Responsibility, Counseling, Case Management, Client education and Assessment.
  • You will need to pass the CADC Illinois Exam.

Requirements for CRADC

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • High school diploma or GED. However, having an Associate’s or higher is recommended as this can reduce both your education requirements and your supervised work experience requirements.
  • You will need to accumulate 6000 hours of supervised AODA work with clients.
  • This is lowered to 5000 hours if you have an Associate’s degree in a Behavioral Science from an accredited institution of higher learning.
  • If you have a Bachelor’s or higher in a Behavioral Science you will only need 4000 hours.
  • This experience must be working within the 12 Core Functions: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning; Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
  • You will need 300 hours of supervision from a qualified supervisor and this must include a minimum of 10 hours of supervision during work in each of the 12 Core Functions.
  • You will need at least 300 hours of education, 160 hours must be AODA specific including 30 hours of Addictions treatment services for women and their families, 30 hours of treatment services for adolescents and their families and 6 hours of professional ethics and responsibilities. You must also have at least 134 hours in the following areas: Professional Responsibility, Counseling, Case Management, Client education and Assessment.
  • You will need to pass the CRADC Illinois Exam and the ICRC Reciprocal Examination.
  • The correct application form can be found here.

Requirements for CSADC

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • High school diploma or GED. However, having an Associate’s or higher is recommended as this can reduce your education requirements if your degree program covered the necessary AODA classes listed below.
  • You will need to accumulate 10000 hours of supervised AODA work with clients.
  • You must have one year and 2000 hours of being a clinical supervisor of AODA counselors.
  • This experience must be working within the 12 Core Functions: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning; Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
  • You will need 300 hours of supervision from a qualified supervisor and this must include a minimum of 10 hours of supervision during work in each of the 12 Core Functions.
  • You will need at least 350 hours of education, 190 hours must be AODA specific including 45 hours of Addictions treatment services for women and their families, 45 hours of treatment services for adolescents and their families and 6 hours of professional ethics and responsibilities. You will also need 30 hours where you were learning about clinical supervision. You must also have at least 124 hours in the following areas: Professional Responsibility, Counseling, Case Management, Client education and Assessment.
  • You will need to pass the CADC Illinois Exam, the ICRC Reciprocal Examination and the ICRC Supervisor Examination.

Requirements for CAADC

  • You must pass a criminal background check.
  • You must have a Master’s degree in a Behavioral Science in a field that has clinical application such as Counseling, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy or Psychology.
  • You will need to accumulate 2000 hours of supervised AODA work with clients.
  • You must have one year and 2000 hours of being a clinical supervisor of AODA counselors.
  • This experience must be working within the 12 Core Functions: Screening; Intake; Orientation; Assessment; Treatment Planning; Counseling; Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Client Education; Referral; Reports and Record Keeping; Consultation.
  • You will need 300 hours of supervision from a qualified supervisor and this must include a minimum of 10 hours of supervision during work in each of the 12 Core Functions.
  • You will need at least 180 hours of education, 180 hours must be AODA specific including 45 hours of Addictions treatment services for women and their families, 45 hours of treatment services for adolescents and their families and 6 hours of professional ethics and responsibilities.
  • You will need to pass the ICRC AAODA Examination.
  • The correct application form can be found here.