“I completed the ETC program in October. I am proud to say that yesterday I took the CADC I exam and I passed. I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you. I felt prepared and confident, and it is because of the ETC program and all the help from the instructors. You all helped so much, I appreciate it!”
The Education Toward Certification (ETC) program is for aspiring Addiction Counselors in rural or frontier Oregon who require 150 hours of official MHACBO education to become certified CADCs. This free program, funded by the Oregon Health Authority, provides access to 170 hours of hybrid in-person and virtual education with experienced instructors, that is specific to the recommendations by the certifying entity.
the program:
In-person education
The first 40 hours of courses are facilitated in-person at a hotel and conference center in either Bend, Newport, or Pendleton, OR. Students’ lodging is 100% covered; students are only responsible for their transportation to the retreat location and their food while attending the retreat.
virtual education
The remaining 130 hours are completed remotely via Zoom to allow students to experience the least amount of disruption in their personal and professional lives as they work toward certification.
the certification process
The certification for addiction counseling is provided by the MHACBO (Mental Health and Addiction Certification Board of Oregon). 150 hours of education in Addiction Treatment is required, in addition to supervised work experience before a person can apply to take the Certification Exam. The ETC Program offers 170 hours, as I understand that life happens and classes are sometimes missed. The ETC Program provides the education component only, so participants will need to be affiliated with an agency or a supervisor who holds the credential CADC II or CADC III (Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor). Your credits for education hours are provided by each instructor as the specific classes are completed throughout the program.
FAQs
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The classes included in the ETC Program are: Basic Counseling and Group Counseling (at the retreat in-person), Ethics of Addiction Counseling, Infectious Disease, Trauma and Addiction, Theories of Counseling, Motivational Interviewing, Clinical Evaluation, and Pharmacology of Addiction.
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Interested students will complete an eligibility survey that is mailed to them after signing up for my Waitlist.
The survey verifies your status as working in frontier or rural Oregon and verifies that you can identify a qualified professional who will supervise your work hours, which is also required for certification.
You will then submit a 100% refundable $200 deposit to secure your position in a cohort. The check is simply a placeholder and is returned to you when you attend the initial 40-hour in-person retreat).
You will receive any information you need to begin in the next cohort! -
Check out this website to see if your area qualifies as rural or frontier: ruralhealthinfo.org/am-i-rural
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Yes! Even your textbooks are free of charge (distributed at the retreat) to supplement in your learning.
The only costs you will need to cover are:
-Your transportation to & from the in-person retreat
-Your food during the in-person retreat (lodging is covered).
-Your access to a computer and reliable internet for the 130 hours of Zoom education
-The initial $200 to reserve your spot, which is 100% refundable.
