Recommended Curriculum

Florida Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) Credential

Florida's CAC credential is based on obtaining 250-hours of addiction specific training. According to the requirements of the Florida Certification Board, these hours must fit into the following categories:

250 hours of Education – At least 130 in the following:

Clinical Evaluation – 25 hours
Treatment Planning – 15 hours
Referral – 5 hours
Service Coordination – 5 hours
Counseling – 30 hours
Client, Family and Community Education – 10 hours
Documentation – 10 hours
Professional and Ethical Responsibilities – 30 hours

The remaining 120 hours must be in the transdisciplinary foundations as follows:

60 hours in Understanding Addiction/Treatment Knowledge (UA / TK); AND
60 hours in Application to Practice/ Professional Readiness (AP / PR).

Within these 120 hours must be at least 4 hours of HIV and 2 hours of domestic violence education/training. For reciprocity, 270 hours of education are required - the additional 20 hours must be in the transdisciplinary foundations.

The following is a recommended curriculum for 262-hours of training. These courses have been designed to not only prepare you for with the information you'll need to to work with chemically dependent clients, but also to assist you in passing your written credentialing examination. You are always free to take any coursework from our catalog, and our staff will be happy to work with you to make course recommendations should you already have some training hours and do not need an entire 250-hours of training.

For a PDF copy of this curriculum, CLICK HERE.

We also offer discounts for multiple courses/hours of training. Contact our business office at 866 471-1742 for more details.

Course	Hrs	Categories
Counseling Functions: Working With Families - Guidelines and Techniques	15	Client, Family, & Community Education	AP/PR
Counseling Functions: Screening and Patient Placement for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders	15	Clinical Evaluation	UA/TK
Diagnosing Substance Abuse and Dependence: Using the DSM Structure	10	Clinical Evaluation	UA/TK
Counseling Function: Group Counseling Skills	12	Counseling	UA/TK
Counseling Functions: Individual Counseling Skills	15	Counseling	UA/TK
Group Drug Counseling	6	Counseling	AP/PR
12 Step Information for Treatment Professionals	6	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Basic Ethics for Addiction Professionals	12	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Chemical Dependency and the African American	3	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Chemical Dependency and the Asian/Pacific Islander - The Population and the Problem	3	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Chemical Dependency and the Chicano/Latino - The Population	3	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Counseling the Chemically Dependent Woman	3	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Native American Prevention	6	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Substance Abuse and Older Adults: The Population and the Problem	3	Professional and Ethical Responsibility	AP/PR
Counseling Functions: Case Management and Referral Services	12	Referral/Service Coordination	UA/TK
Addiction: A Biopsychosocial Model	3	Treatment Planning / Documentation	UA/TK
Clinical Applications of Motivational Strategies	3	Treatment Planning / Documentation	UA/TK
Dual Diagnosis Information for Addiction Professionals	12	Treatment Planning / Documentation	UA/TK
Improving Treatment Compliance	3	Treatment Planning / Documentation	UA/TK
Treatment Planning Guidelines for Substance Abuse Professionals	10	Treatment Planning / Documentation	UA/TK
Treating HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse	6	HIV (Required)	AP/PR
Substance Abuse Treatment and Domestic Violence: Batterers	3	Violence (Required)	AP/PR
Chemical Dependency and the Asian/Pacific Islander – Skills and Strategies for Counseling Asian Americans with Substance Abuse Problems	3		AP/PR
Cultural Pain and the African American	3		AP/PR
Substance Abuse and Older Adults: Assessment and Treatment Issues	3		AP/PR
Working with Hispanic Populations	3		AP/PR
Advanced Ethics - Special Topics	3		AP/PR
Confidentiality Requirements for AOD Professionals	9		AP/PR
Counseling Functions: Crisis Intervention	3		AP/PR
Counselor Ethics - Ethical Counselors	3		AP/PR
Diagnosing and Treating Co-dependence	6		AP/PR
Ethical Practice for Counseling Professionals	3		AP/PR
Hepatitis C - Information for Counselors	3		AP/PR
HIV/AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases	3		AP/PR
Integrating Spirituality into Therapy	3		AP/PR
Relapse Prevention Services	3		AP/PR
Basic Pharmacology	15		UA/TK
Co-Dependent No More	3		UA/TK
Detoxification: Identification of Need and Therapeutic Interventions	6		UA/TK
Nicotine – The Forgotten Addiction	3		UA/TK
Pharmacology Update	3		UA/TK
The Minnesota Model	6		UA/TK
The Neurobiology of Addiction	3		UA/TK
Theory and Practice of Addiction Counseling	15		UA/TK
Understanding the Addictive Process	3		UA/TK
Update on Intervention Models for Engaging Resistant Substance Abusers in Treatment	3		UA/TK
TOTAL CURRICULUM HOURS:	275