CEU Matrix’s 30-hour Washington DC Certified Addiction Counselor I (CAC I) online package is approved by the DC Board of Professional Counseling and fulfills all education requirements for the CAC I credential. Every required content area and topic — including Human Behavior and Family Systems, Co-Occurring Disorders, Crisis Intervention, Psychopharmacology Resources, and Cultural Factors and Competencies in Addiction — is covered in this 30-hour package for CAC I certification.
- Credit Hours: 30
- Price: $205
- State Board Approved
- Affordable & On-Demand
- Instant Certificates Upon Completion
Package Information
Washington DC CAC Certification Requirements and Course Package
This course package offers substantial savings versus purchasing the courses individually. Courses are taken at your convenience, there is no time limit, and everything is done online. If you have any other questions please call John Tinsley at (512) 843-0866.
What This Package Covers
Washington DC requires 30 credit hours of coursework across 10 specific content areas for the Certified Addiction Counselor I (CAC I) credential, defined by 17 DCMR 8702.1 (each area requires 3 hours). This CEU Matrix 30-hour package covers the full coursework requirement.
The 10 required content areas (3 hours each):
- Human Behavior and Family Systems
- Signs and Symptoms of Substance Abuse
- Recovery Process, Relapse Prevention, and Treatment Approaches
- Ethics, Rules, and Regulations
- Professional Identity in Substance Abuse Services
- Crisis Intervention
- Cultural Factors and Competencies in Addiction
- Co-Occurring Disorders
- Diagnostic and Screening Criteria
- Psychopharmacology Resources
Please see the “Package Contents” section below for the complete list of courses included in this package.
Certification Requirements
- Education Required: Associate’s degree in health/human services field.
- Work Experience: 500 hours of supervised work experience in the addiction counseling field, with a minimum of 40 hours demonstrating competency in each required core counseling subject area.
- Supervised Hours: Supervision is integrated into the 500-hour work experience requirement. No separate supervised clinical hours are required beyond those counted in work experience – the supervised experience must cover each required core counseling area with at least 40 hours per area.
- State Exam: NAADAC-NCC Level I Examination + DC Jurisprudence Examination
Important Notes
DC uses NAADAC standards (not IC&RC).
Renewal Requirements
40 continuing education hours every 2 years, including 6 hours professional ethics, 3 hours trauma counseling, 2 hours LGBTQ cultural competency or specialized clinical treatment, and 4 hours (10%) in DC public health priorities as designated by the Director. First renewal is exempt from CE requirements.
Package Contents
Understanding the dynamics of human behavior and family systems:
- Substance Abuse Treatment and Family Therapy Module 1 (3 hours)
Signs and symptoms of substance abuse:
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence: The Problem, The Solution, and Co-Occurring Disorders (3 hours)
Recovery process, stages of change, relapse prevention, treatment approaches, group dynamics and other adjunctive treatment recovery, support groups, motivational interviewing, and models and theories of addiction:
- Treatment Planning: Utilizing the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) (3 hours)
Ethics, rules and regulations:
- Ethics, Boundaries and Dual Relationships: Professional Issues for Addiction Professionals (3 hours)
Professional identity in the provision of substance abuse services:
- Personal Wellness for Substance Abuse Counselors (3 hours)
Crisis intervention:
- Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment (3 hours)
Cultural factors and competencies in addiction:
- Ethical Practice with Special Populations (3 hours)
Co-occurring disorders in interdisciplinary treatment:
- Substance Use Disorder Treatment for People With Co-Occurring Disorders, Module 1 (Revised 2025) (3 hours)
Diagnostic and screening criteria in addictions:
- Booting Up the System – Case Management Models, Principles, and Practices (3 hours)
Psychopharmacology resources in the treatment of addictions:
- An Introduction to Treatment Medications: What Every Counselor Should Know (4 hours)
Package FAQs
Approved and Widely Recognized
CEU Matrix is approved by the following national and state accreditation boards:
CEU Matrix is approved with the following state boards:
Arkansas (ASACB), California (CCAPP #OS-07-394-0222), California (CADTP #250), Connecticut (#0115-5202), Delaware (DCB #37), Florida (FCB #5141-A), Georgia (ADACBGA #2026-4-003), Illinois (IAODAPCA #19345), Kentucky, Louisiana (LA ADRA #E026), Michigan (MCBAP), Missouri (Missouri CB #183), New Mexico (NMCBBHP #2046), North Carolina (NCSAPPB), Ohio (OCDP #50-19236), Oklahoma (OBLADS #20260153), Texas (TCB #1758-07)
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