Indiana Certified Alcohol and Drug Addiction Consultant III or V (CADAC III or CADAC V)

Indiana substance use credentials are issued by the Indiana Credentialing Association on Addiction and Drug Abuse (ICAADA), an addictions-specific credentialing body separate from Indiana’s behavioral health licensure system. Indiana also issues independent clinical licenses (LCSW, LCAC, LMHC, LMFT, HSPP) through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), which oversees mental health practitioner licensure. The ICAADA-issued credentials most commonly pursued are the ACIT (Addiction Consultant in Training) — a 3-year non-renewable training credential — and the CADAC II (Certified Alcohol and Drug Addiction Consultant II), open to high school graduates with degree-tiered supervised work experience. Counselors with bachelor’s or master’s degrees pursue CADAC I or CADAC IV, and counselors who already hold an active IPLA license can pursue CADAC III or CADAC V to add an addictions specialization on top of their existing license.

Indiana has five CADAC tiers, each tied to a specific education and licensure pathway. CADAC I requires a bachelor’s degree and the IC&RC ADC exam. CADAC II is the high-school-pathway credential — 300 training hours with degree-tiered supervised work hours (6,000 with HS down to 2,000 with master’s), and the IC&RC ADC exam. CADAC III requires an active bachelor’s-level IPLA license. CADAC IV requires a master’s degree and the IC&RC AADC exam. CADAC V requires an active master’s-level IPLA license (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or HSPP) and the IC&RC AADC exam.

The ACIT (Addiction Consultant in Training) is Indiana’s introductory training credential — 12 hours of approved education (6 hours ethics + 6 hours HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, and Bloodborne Pathogens), no exam, no work experience. It is valid for three years and is non-renewable, meaning ACIT holders must advance to a CADAC credential before expiration. The ACIT is not strictly required to become a CADAC, but it allows new counselors to begin working in addiction services while accumulating the supervised hours and education needed for full CADAC certification. CEU Matrix’s ICAADA-approved 12-hour ACIT package covers both required topics in full.

The exam depends on the CADAC tier. CADAC I, CADAC II, and CADAC III all require a passing score on the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) examination. CADAC IV and CADAC V require a passing score on the IC&RC Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) examination — a master’s-level exam. The ACIT does not require any exam.

Indiana’s CADAC II is the most common entry credential and requires: a high school diploma or GED, 300 hours of approved addiction counseling education across the four IC&RC performance domains, supervised work experience scaled by degree (6,000 hours with a high school diploma, 5,000 with an associate’s, 4,000 with a bachelor’s, or 2,000 with a master’s), 100-300 hours of direct clinical supervision (also degree-tiered, with at least 10 hours per domain), and a passing IC&RC ADC exam. CEU Matrix’s ICAADA-approved 300-hour CADAC II package covers the full education requirement.

Training is self-paced — 300 hours for CADAC II or 180 hours for CADAC I/IV. The longest factor is the supervised work experience requirement: up to 6,000 hours (about three years full-time) for the high-school pathway, scaling down to 1,000-2,000 hours for bachelor’s and master’s degree holders. Combined with clinical supervision and the IC&RC exam.

All CADAC credentials (I through V) renew every two years and require 40 clock hours of domain-specific continuing education, including a minimum of 6 hours of ethics. CADAC III and CADAC V holders must additionally maintain their underlying IPLA license throughout the renewal period. The ACIT is non-renewable — holders have three years to advance to a CADAC credential before the ACIT expires.

Yes. Indiana’s CADAC I, II, and III are built on the IC&RC ADC examination, and CADAC IV and V on the IC&RC AADC examination — both are portable across IC&RC member boards in other states. Indiana’s IPLA-based tiers (CADAC III/V) may have additional state-specific licensure considerations during transfer.

Counselors holding an IC&RC ADC or AADC credential in good standing from another IC&RC member state can transfer to the equivalent Indiana CADAC credential through reciprocity. ICAADA processes reciprocity applications and may require documentation of state-specific content (such as the 6-hour HIV/AIDS education requirement). Counselors transferring into the CADAC III or CADAC V tiers must also hold an active Indiana IPLA license at the corresponding level.

Yes. CEU Matrix is an ICAADA-approved continuing education provider. Our Indiana packages cover the full education requirement for each ICAADA credential we offer — ACIT (12 hours), CADAC I/IV (180 hours), CADAC II (300 hours), and CADAC III/V (40 hours).

All courses become available in your CEU Matrix Student Center the moment payment clears, with no enrollment delay. Coursework is fully self-paced — there is no fixed completion deadline. Your progress, exam scores, and earned certificates are tracked automatically and stored under “My Courses,” giving you a single consolidated view of your Indiana credential progress and total hours earned.