Congratulations Christian Institute's students Terry Vierra and David Zailer just found out they passed their oral exams to become CAADAC Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC II). March 28, 2011

What They Say...
To show what happens with Christian Institute's students, you can listen to the voice message that CI student Amy called when she just had completed taking the written exam: (You need speakers to listen to it.)

Amy's Message

Another student of CI, Doug, writes:

I’ve gone on to graduate school and will complete my M.A. in counseling psychology next April. I am currently working in the chemical dependency unit at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. I am also doing my masters practicum at Kaiser CDRP Oakland, specializing in substance abuse. Gaining a CADC I credential has given me a specialty in the mental health field. I began CAADAC courses with Christian Institute in October ’07. I am now gainfully employed and helping others in a new industry. I’ve been able to build an entirely new career in less than 3 years. Thanks Christian Institute!

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I want to express my deep appreciation for Christian Institute. The online studies and support made it possible for me to complete all of my CADC requirements in less than two years. The result for me was complete success in study requirements, application and paperwork submittal, internship and work experience and successful testing. I could never have accomplished this without Christian Institute.

David Zailer
CADC II

Christian Institute (CI) is approved by CAADAC (California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors. This means that you don’t have to worry if your courses will count towards your certification. You can visit CAADAC’s website at www.caadac.org for more information. With CAADAC certification, you have reciprocity with other states through the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC This means that your certification is transferrable to jurisdictions governed by IC&RC. You can view other states' certification requirements by clicking here. If you reside in another state, read the state's certification requirement. The states listed in the menu are the ones where Christian Institute's courses will meet the critieria.

You can view the directory of Addiction Technology Transfer Center which includes Christian Institute.

Acquiring knowledge to work with those who have substance abuse issues is essential to be more effective. For over seven years Christian Institute has been offering substance abuse training to persons who want to help others with their substance abuse problems. Many of Christian institute’s students have become certified drug and alcohol counselors. They are now working in non-profits, governmental entities and are even in private practice. Other students take courses for enrichment purposes so that they can learn about substance abuse in order to help love ones. Still others have taken the courses to be more effective in their church ministry. Christian Institute has primarily designed the courses so that persons can qualify to become certified as a drug and alcohol counselor.

In understanding the nature of treating others with substance abuse issues, Christian Institute has designed its curriculum to get students not only to pass the exams to become certified but also to enhance their fundamental understanding of providing treatment. Through Christian Institute's curriculum, students' understanding of working with clients is broaden; therefore, they develop new perspectives on how to treat clients.

How to Start the Process

If interested, students must call in to CI to do a telephone interview. Students must fill out the Student Interest form (the link is on the right side of this page) and a CI representative will contact them within one business day for a telephone interview.

After the interview, students will be told if they are accepted to enroll in the courses.

Upon acceptance, students may register for the courses. Call us toll-free at (866) 513-7807 if you have questions.

How to Register for CI's Online Courses

Once accepted, students will go to the webpage and click on the course they want to take. Payments are made with VISA, MasterCard and American Express credit cards or debit cards. If students want to call in their payment or send it in by check, they may do so.

The tuition for each course is $300. The cost for books is extra, ranging from $15 to $75 per course.

Once registration and payment are received, students will receive within 24 hours the link to the course, their log-in information and password.

Students can then begin taking the online course.

How CI's Online Courses Work

CI offers online the seven courses needed to qualify to take CAADAC's written exam to become a certified alcohol and drug counselor. The seventh course, the Supervised Practicum, is a full course in which students begin their 255-hour internship at an approved drug and alcohol facility in which they can acquire 21 hours in each of the 12 Core Functions. The site is of the student's choosing.

The amount of time that students take to complete one online course is 30 to 60 days. The courses have standard curriculum but the pacing is individualized.

Students are expected to have at least a high school diploma or GED, an operating knowledge of computers such as sending and receiving emails, uploading and downloading files, opening websites, and using a word-processing software like Microsoft Word.

The requirements for each course are:

• read the syllabus and course requirements once logged into the online course

• read the appropriate readings assigned for each unit

• take a quiz after each unit

• complete two assignments of doing a hands-on activity such as visiting a recovery program and writing a 500-word reflection paper

• take the final exam

After submitting the final exam, students will receive within one week their grade for the course.

Students will interact with the course instructor through the course, email and even telephone; all students will have the instructor's contact information.

Sample Course

You can view a sample course format. You will be logged in as a guest. Use the login name: sample. The password is sample. To log into this sample course, click here. When you enroll in a course, you will be given your official login name and password.

CAADAC Certification Requirements

The candidate needs to satisfactorily pass the seven courses to qualify to take the written exam.

After completing the courses, the candidate submits a portfolio to CAADAC.

If the candidate passes the written exam but does not have at least 4000 hours, he/she would become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Associate (CADCA).

If the candidate has at least 4000 hours of experience, he/she would qualify for a CADC I.

If the candidate has more than 6000 hours, he/she would qualify for a CADC II.

For more information on certification, contact CI at (866) 513-7807 or CAADAC at (916) 368-9412.

Courses needed for Certification

Physiology and Pharmacology
Examines the effects of alcohol and drugs on the body, mind and behavior. The course also has a component on HIV/AIDS.

Law and Ethics
Examines legal and professional responsibility, regulatory restrictions; community prevention education; outreach; confidentiality and issues surrounding clients’ rights such as confidentiality.

Case Management
Focuses on the core functions of intake, screening, assessment, orientation, treatment planning, referral, and reports and record keeping. Relapse prevention is also included.

Individual, Group and Family Counseling
Focuses on the objectives of counseling; theories of counseling; family and group dynamics; and counseling techniques..

Personal and Professional Growth
Focuses on symptoms of counselor burnout; the recovering counselor; professional standards; certification requirements; and professional resources.

Supervised Practicum
A course in which students begin their 255-hour supervised internship at an approved drug and alcohol facility.