Our Credentials & Certifications

Exam Curriculum

The ICAP Examinations cover the necessary knowledge and skills needed to be an effective professional. The material covered in the Universal Curriculums developed by The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program (DAP) will help prepare participants and count toward the training requirements, however there are other training materials that can also be used to prepare for the examinations.

Prevention

A Certified Professional in Prevention has been trained in the science of substance use and abuse prevention. They have met the minimum standards for education/training, supervised experience, and passed the ICAP-Prevention exam. The ICAP-Prevention exam is available in English, French & Spanish

Candidates can prepare for this exam by studying The Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) for Practitioners Course 10 (CORE).

Treatment

A Certified Professional in Treatment has been credentialed and has been trained in the science of Substance Use Disorder Treatment. They have met the minimum standards for education/training, supervised experience, and passed the appropriate ICAP-Treatment level exam.

The ICAP-Treatment Level I, II, III, and IV exams are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Burmese, and Russian. Candidates preparing for the ICAP-Treatment I exam are encouraged to study The Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Basic Series.

Candidates preparing for the ICAP-Treatment exams are encouraged to study The Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Basic Series for Level I, and the UTC Advanced Courses along with additional resources such as SAMHSA’s Knowledge Application Program (KAP) and NIDA’s Good Clinical Practice Resources.

Recovery Support

A Certified Professional in Recovery Support has been trained in the best practices of supporting those in recovery of addiction. The ICAP-Recovery Support exam is available in English.

Candidates can prepare for this exam by studying The Universal Recovery Curriculum (URC) Kryterion, our testing partner together with NAADAC also offers general test-taking information:

Research Reveals These Smart, Surprising Tactics for Test-Taking Success

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

All ICAPS are valid for 3 years. Continuing education is required for Renewal.

Host an Exam

If you are a government or educational entity that would like to host an exam in your country, please email [email protected] for more information on the requirements and schedule. Please put “Host an ICAP” exam in the subject line.

Ethics Violation

All credentialed and/or certified professionals must subscribe to the ethical standards in the practice of their profession. Those failing to meet these ethical standards will be subject to disciplinary actions. Revocation and/ or other sanctions may be imposed for a variety of reasons, such as:

Falsification of application or any other part of the credentialing process;
Misrepresentation of credential status;
Abuse or misuse of psychoactive substances;
Inappropriate relationships with clients/patients.

If you wish to report an ethical violation, email us at: [email protected]. Please put “Confidential” in the subject line and explain your case. It will be reviewed based upon CCA's policies & procedures.

Inactive Status

Inactive status may be granted for reasons such as education, illness, or temporary professional change. This designation will facilitate a smooth return to credentialing when active work is resumed by eliminating the need to re-test and re-document original qualifications. The Commission will issue a new credential and/or certification with the same number marked “Inactive” in place of an expiration date. When the individual decides to return to active work, they may reactivate their credentials and/or certification by following the procedures for renewal of credentials and/or certification. If you wish to reactivate your credentials, please email [email protected] for more information. Please put Inactive Status in the email's subject line and your name/credential number in the body of the email.

Reciprocity & Portability

While there are currently ICAP professionals in 78 countries, we also want to work with countries that already have a credentialing or certifying body in the SUD field. As we work toward shared global standards, we want to ensure that our international certification is also portable to these countries. ICAP credentials are currently accepted within the following credentialing organizations: Kenya - Kenya Certified Addiction Counselor (KCAC) South Korea - Korean Association for Addiction Professionals (KAAP) United States - NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals We are continuing conversations with other organizations. If you are interested in partnering with us to promote global standards for professionals, please email [email protected]. Please put Reciprocity in the subject line.

Retirement Status

Retired professionals may retain their credentialed status. Those professionals no longer employed in the SUD field of prevention, treatment and/or recovery support and who abide by the Ethical Guidelines for CCA may apply for retirement status. The Commission will issue a new credential and/or certification with the same number marked “RETIRED” in place of an expiration date. If, in the two years succeeding the receipt of the retirement credential, the individual decides they are going to return to paid work, they may reactivate their credentials and/or certification by following the procedures as for renewal of credential and/or certification. If you wish to apply for Retirement status, please email [email protected]. Please put Retirement Status in the subject line of the email and include in the body of the email your name and credential number.