We offer a curriculum designed to meet the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (IAODAPCA) requirements for candidates to become Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselors (CADC) in Illinois. The requirements can be completed in one calendar year or extended to three years at our Aurora or Woodstock Center campuses.
Application requirements
To apply to the certification program, you should submit:
- A graduate application (obtained online or from the Center for Adult and Graduate Studies/Woodstock Center) for the Graduate Addictions Certification program
- Two letters of recommendation from professionals in the field
- An official sealed transcript denoting a BSW or MSW degree from a CSWE-accredited institution. We admit some applicants who have degrees in other disciplines. If you do not have a BSW or MSW, please submit official, sealed transcripts from all prior colleges and universities attended.
All materials should be sent to:
Aurora Campus:
Center for Adult and Graduate Studies
Eckhart Hall, Room 105
347 S. Gladstone Ave.
Aurora, IL 60506
Phone: 630-844-5294
Email: AUadmission@aurora.edu
Woodstock Campus:
Graduate Admission
222 Church St.
Woodstock, IL 60098-3315
Phone: 815-337-6051
Email: WCadmission@aurora.edu
Once admitted, you will interview with the School of Social Work Addictions Training Director or designee to review your transcript for course content that may be applicable to the Graduate Addictions Certification program.
Program Requirements
Graduate Addictions Certification students must successfully complete the following courses within three academic years after being officially accepted into the certificate program and maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average:
- SWK 6340 — Survey of Substance Abuse Evaluation and Treatment (3 semester hours)
- SWK 6350 — Psychopharmacology (3 semester hours)
- SWK 6200 — Addictions Counseling I (3 semester hours)
- SWK 6400 — Addictions Counseling II (3 semester hours)
- SWK 6810 — Graduate Addictions Certification Advanced Field Instruction (3 semester hours)
Field Instruction
We believe that the student should play a vital role in determining his/her field placement. We will help you select an internship site and maintain contact information with agencies. Placements should be arranged before you register for SWK6810.
CADC requirements
The School of Social Work is accredited by the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (IAODAPCA) at the advanced level. Upon completion of the program, you are eligible to sit for the CADC certification examination. Certification and testing information for the CADC exam can be found on the IAODAPCA website.
If you have any questions or need further information, please contact:
Center for Adult and Graduate Studies
Phone: 630-844-5294
Email: AUadmission@aurora.edu
Rob Castillo, LCSW, CADC, MISA II, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Addictions Training Director
Phone: 630-844-4570
Email: rcastill@aurora.edu
