CAC COURSE REQUIREMENTS: HighSchool/GED and/or Bachelors Degree
To become a Certified Addiction Councilor, you must fulfill the following requirements:
CAT – Certified Addictions Technician (formally CAC I)
High school diploma/GED
Effective April 1, 2021
__________
Nine (9) addiction specialty trainings:
(Odyssey recommends for the benefit of the student, the classes be taken in this order. The first six in any order that fits your schedule, then the last three in the order listed.)
Principles of Addiction Treatment (21 hrs)
Case Conceptualization and Documentation (14 hrs)
Ethical Practice in Addiction Treatment (14 hrs)
Culturally Informed Treatment (14 hrs)
Pharmacology I (14 hrs)
Trauma Informed Care for Diverse Populations (14 hrs)
Addiction Counseling Skills (21 hrs)
Group Counseling Skills (21 hrs) – Prerequisite: Addiction Counseling Skills
Motivational Interviewing (21 hrs) – Prerequisite: Addiction Counseling Skills
Total training hours: 154
__________
Clinically Supervised Work
Experience Hours: 1000 – indirect work
(does not require DORA
registration prior to the 1000
hours)
3 hours of clinical supervision* per month for full time work
Pass the NCAC I Exam
Pass the Jurisprudence Exam
https://dpo.colorado.gov/Addict
ionCounselor/ApplicationsDocs
CAS: Certified Addictions Specialist (formally CAC II & CAC III)
Must have the CAT and Bachelors as the base.
Effective April 1, 2021
Clinical Behavioral Health Bachelor Degree: Behavioral Health specialty (Psychology, Social Work, Human Services).
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Substance Use Disorders/Addiction and/or related counseling subjects (social work, mental health counseling, marriage & family, psychology) from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
Non-conforming bachelor’s degree approval will be decided at the discretion of the Addiction Board
Eleven (11) specialty trainings:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (14 hrs)
Co-occurring Disorders (14 hrs)
Advanced Treatment Models (14 hrs)
Treating Diverse Populations (14 hrs)
Infectious Diseases in Addiction Treatment (14hrs)
Advanced Professional and Ethical Practice (14hrs) – Prerequisite: Ethical Practice in Addiction Treatment
Advanced Case Conceptualization (14 hrs) – Prerequisite: Case Conceptualization and Documentation
Advanced Pharmacology (14 hrs)- Prerequisite: Pharmacology I
Advanced Motivational Interviewing (14 hrs) – Prerequisite: Motivational Interviewing
Clinical Supervision I (21 hrs) – Prerequisites: Addiction Counseling Skills, Group Counseling Skills, Motivational Interviewing, and Advanced Motivational Interviewing
Clinical Supervision II (14 hrs) – Prerequisites: Advanced Motivational Interviewing and
Clinical Supervision I
-Clinically Supervised Work
Experience Hours
● 2,000 direct clinically supervised hours
(Must have the CAT from the State(DORA) to legally work and count the hours for the CAS. You must apply one level at a time.)
3 hours of clinical supervision* per month for full time work
-Pass the NCAC II exam
-Pass the Jurisprudence exam
https://dpo.colorado.gov/AddictionCounselor/ApplicationsDocs
CAC requirements with a Masters or Doctorate Degree in Behavioral Health Sciences:
LAC – Licensed Addition Counselor
Effective March 1, 2022
Clinical Master’s degree or higher in Substance Use Disorders/Addiction and/or related
counseling subjects (social work, mental health counseling, marriage & family,
psychology, medical doctor) from a regionally accredited institution of higher
learning.
Seven (7) specialty trainings:
(Must be taken by an OBH Approved
Trainer, no educational equivalency)
-Principles of Addiction Treatment (21 hrs)
-Infectious Diseases in Addiction Treatment (14 hrs)
-Pharmacology I (14 hrs)
-Advanced Pharmacology (14 hrs) – Prerequisite: Pharmacology I
-Advanced Professional and Ethical Practice (14hrs)
-Clinical Supervision I (21 hrs)
-Clinical Supervision II (14 hrs) – Prerequisite: Clinical Supervision I
Clinically Supervised Work
Experience Hours
● 2,000 direct clinically
supervised hours
2 hours of clinical supervision* per month for full time work
( Must be registered through DORA as an LAC candidate or be registered in another Mental Health category for the hours to be legally worked and counted.
Pass the MAC exam
Pass the jurisprudence exam
https://dpo.colorado.gov/Addiction
Counselor/ApplicationsDocs
Education Equivalency for Addiction Counselor Certification:
When an applicant submits college courses on an application to the Center for Credentialing
&Education (CCE) in lieu of one of the required training classes, it is the applicant’s
responsibility to demonstrate how their college course is equivalent to the Office of
Behavioral Health (OBH) approved core competencies for that class. They are advised to
compare the class syllabus to the core competency for the CAC required class. Anyone wishing
to use college equivalents must submit the following to CCE (please be advised this process
can take 4-6weeks)
CCE website: https://www.cce-global.org/businesssupportservices/licensureeducationreviews
CCE Application packet info: https://www.cce-global.org/Assets/StateLicensure/COappAddictionCounselorsInteractive.pdf
● An official transcript from an accredited college or university in a sealed envelope.
The courses must be in a behavioral health science or field. Each college class being
offered as the equivalent of a CAC training class must have a grade of C or above.
● A cover letter with an attached syllabus and a written description about why the
college class is equivalent to the CAC required class.
● A college course must offer college credits that are equivalent or greater than the
number of clock hours required for the OBH training class.
College equivalency hours:
● One semester credit hour = 15 clock hours
● Two semester credit hours = 30 clock hours
● Three semester credit hours = 45 clock hours
● One quarter credit hour = 8.5 clock hours
● Two quarter credit hours = 17 clock hours
● Three quarter credit hours = 25.5 clock hours
CAC required courses that may have college equivalency
(See core competencies posted on the OBH website):
https://cdhs.colorado.gov/behavioral-health/workforce-development
(Click on Certified Addiction Counselor Clinical Training Program, click on Core Competencies for CAC Required Training Classes)
● Addiction Counseling Skills (21 hrs)
● Case Conceptualization and Documentation (14 hrs)
● Culturally Informed Treatment (14 hrs)
● Ethical Practice in Addiction Treatment (14 hrs)
● Motivational Interviewing (21 hrs)
● Advanced Motivational Interviewing (14 hrs)
● Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (14 hrs)
● Advanced Case Conceptualization (14 hrs)
● Co-Occurring Disorders (14 hrs)
● Group Counseling Skills (21 hrs)
● Trauma Informed Care for Diverse Populations (14 hrs)
● Advanced Treatment Models (14 hrs)
● Treating Diverse Populations (14 hrs)
FAQs
You can find a complete listing of programs by region and the types of services offered in the OBH web site under licensed treatment directory.
You must start at the CAC I level and work up. They only way to apply for more than one level at a time is to have a master’s degree in the Mental health/Behavioral health sciences field.
Officially no, personal experience in addictions is not part of the CAC requirements. You do, however, need to be clean and sober for a minimum of one year.
Unofficially, the experience of graduating from the school of hard knocks can be a real resource in understanding and dealing with substance abuse counseling.
Absolutely yes! All you have to do is properly document it and work the hours under a CAC III/LAC.
Yes, but you need to have clinical supervision by a CAC III or LAC and clearly document that in your CAC application.
Yes, absolutely your work experience hours will count towards your CAC II or III hours. The supervisor outside of Colorado must have a certification equivalent to a CAC III/LAC here in Colorado. The first 1000 hours for CAC I must be done here in Colorado under a CAC III/LAC.
Many employers take volunteers for the first 1000 hours for your CAC I.
Yes, students may take CAC required classes online. Currently OBH has approved 11 of the required CAC classes to be available to students online. Odyssey Training Center offers all 11 classes online as well as in the classroom.
Many OBH Addiction licensed programs will provide their employees with an educational benefit package which pays for CAC training. There is a wide range of policies regarding this so find out what they are before you accept a job. Typically, the employee must be working on the job for several months before they qualify for benefits.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. At this time there is no scholarship money available for CAC classes. However, if you qualify, vocational rehabilitation or Colorado Work Force (WIA)will pay for the cost of training.
You will be tested at the end of each class and must pass the test, as well as participate in class, in order to receive a certificate of completion. In addition, students applying for a CAC II, III or LAC are required to take and pass a National exam as part of your application process.
For many people coming into this field, it has been awhile since they took a test and the thought of an exam can be a little threatening. The exam is based on your prior education, there is study material that can be purchased through CAAP(Colorado Association of Addiction Professionals) . If you have a high school/GED you take the NCACI exam, if you have a bachelor’s degree you take the NCACII exam, if you have a Master’s Degree you MUST take the MAC exam. To complete the national exam you will need to contact CAAP and sign up for the exams on their site.
No, there is mechanism to test out of CAC classes.
It depends! Some college course will be accepted for required training. In order to have a college course count towards your CAC you must submit the class description from the college catalogue and a course syllabus. (see application process)
In general the class must pertain to substance abuse issues for it to be substituted for a CAC course. For example, you may have taken a class on cultural diversity, but unless it addressed how diversity issues impact substance abuse counseling, it will not count.
I recommend that people begin with Principles of Addiction Treatment. This class give you a broad overview of the Addiction treatment field.
