FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

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The evidence is conclusive that addiction is highly correlated with criminal behavior and criminal involvement. Therefore, the adult and juvenile justice systems and providers of substance abuse treatment share a responsibility to assist drug-involved offenders in their recovery. It is this shared responsibility which led to the recognition for the need of a certification process for Criminal Justice Professionals who work with the substance abusing criminal offender. 


There are certain knowledge areas and skills that are required to provide effective treatment and case management services to adult and juvenile drug involved offenders. Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professionals (CEU Matrix’s) must demonstrate the ability to provide effective services including assessment, case planning, case management, linking with other treatment, human services and criminal justice providers, monitoring, counseling, and advocacy. In addition, CEU Matrix’s must be knowledgeable of the rehabilitative services provided by the treatment and criminal justice systems. Knowledge is required in such diverse areas as pharmacology treatment theories and modalities, involuntary commitment procedures, criminal case processing, court alternatives and conditions of probation, to name a few. 


The overlap of roles and responsibilities has resulted in greater communication and interdependence among the courts, adult and juvenile justice professionals, and the alcohol and other drug abuse treatment professionals. Many corrections agencies routinely provide substance abuse treatment services. Case management of drug-involved offenders is provided by substance abuse treatment staff. The development of a credential for Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professionals is designed to strengthen the supervision and rehabilitative potential provided by the two systems. 

To access your courses, login at the Student Center and click My Courses on the right side of the page.  Click on the title of the course you wish to access.  On the following page click on the title again as it appears under the word Lessons (middle of the page).  This will take you to the course specific page, scroll down a little and you will see the links to Download the course PDF and to access the quiz. 


There is no timeframe for taking the quiz, nor is there a limit on the number of times you may take it to achieve a score of 80% or better. As always, you are welcome to call or email with any questions or concerns you have along the way! 

After you’ve successfully completed the online exam, you will have access to download the certificate of completion.  Certificates are located in your Student Center under My Courses. 

You may retake any exam as needed an no additional cost. The course material stays available for review before each attempt. There is no time limit on retakes.

If you request a refund within 30 days of placing your order (and prior to submitting any exams) we will gladly issue a refund of your money, less the processing fee and handling charge.  We believe that our courses are the best available for addictions and criminal justice professionals and stand behind every course we distribute. 

CEU Matrix is a distance learning education provider specializing in online continuing education (CEs) for substance abuse and behavioral health professionals. We offer certification and renewal course packages across over 20 states covering over 70 certifications, including ADC, CADC, AADC, CAP, MCAP, CCJP, and more. Please check your CEU Matrix state page under “Courses by State” for more information and specific CEU Matrix packages available to you.

Absolutely! CEU Matrix is is approved by NAADAC provider #619 and NBCC provider #6310 as well as IC&RC Member Boards and State Licensing boards. For more information about our certifications, please visit our accreditations page.

Yes. CEU Matrix offers both initial certification packages and renewal course packages. Renewal requirements vary by state — check your state’s CEU Matrix state page under “Courses by State” for specific renewal hour requirements and any mandatory content areas that must be covered during each renewal cycle. All of CEU Matrix’s courses are approved for renewal.

As long as you like! CEU Matrix courses do not expire and are available at your convenience.

Find your state on our certification guides page (“Courses by State”) to see the exact requirements for your credential level. Each CEU Matrix course package is designed to meet or exceed the education hours and content areas required by your state’s certification board. If your state offers multiple credential levels (such as ADC and AADC), select the package that matches your target certification.

A contact hour equals one hour of participation in an organized, approved learning experience. CEU Matrix course hours are contact hours – no conversion is needed. Some organizations define 1 CEU as 10 contact hours, but most certification boards count requirements in contact hours, which is what CEU Matrix provides.

IC&RC (International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium) sets standards for substance abuse and behavioral health certifications across member states. If your state’s certification is IC&RC reciprocal, you may transfer your credential to another IC&RC member state without repeating the full certification process. Most states participate in IC&RC, but transfer requirements vary.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) and the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) are both entry-level substance abuse counselor certifications. The name varies by state – some states use ADC while others use CADC, but they represent the same credential level. The key difference is the issuing state board and its specific requirements for education hours, supervised experience, and exams.

The general path to substance abuse counselor certification involves four steps: (1) meet the education prerequisite (typically an associate’s or bachelor’s degree), (2) complete the required education hours in approved content areas, (3) accumulate supervised work experience, and (4) pass the state or IC&RC certification exam. Specific requirements vary significantly by state and credential level.

Timeline varies by state and credential level. Education hours alone can range from 9 to 360 hours depending on the certification. Online self-paced programs like CEU Matrix allow completion in as little as 2-6 weeks for the education component. However, total certification time includes supervised work experience (often 2,000-6,000 hours) and exam preparation, which typically extends the full process to 1-3 years.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024), the median annual wage for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is $59,190. Salaries range from approximately $42,590 at the entry level to over $98,210 for experienced clinical counselors. Employment in this field is projected to grow 17% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than average — with approximately 48,300 openings projected each year.

Yes. Most states accept online education hours for substance abuse certification. CEU Matrix provides 100% online, self-paced courses that meet the education hour requirements set by state certification boards. Note that some states have specific content area requirements that must be covered, and supervised work experience must be completed in person at an approved site.

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