The Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug Counselors was established as a 501C3 non-profit corporation in 2002 with the purpose of training and certifying Drug, Alcohol & Addictions Counselors in accordance with biblical Christian principles. In 2003, ACADC became authorized by the California Department of Licensed Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technicians to provide continuing education for all California LVN's and Psych Techs. In 2004, ACADC was approved by the Department of Alcohol & Drug Programs as a certification organization and given authority written into the California Code of Regulations to grant AOD Counselor Certifications. In April 2006, ACADC became a member of the National Organization of Competency Assurance and in June 2007 was awarded national accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

ACADC has its roots in a Christian counseling and education ministry outreach that began in 1995 founded by Dr. Michael Belzman. Dr. Belzman, an Assemblies of God, International ordained minister, began his counseling career as an Army Drug & Alcohol Counselor in 1974. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas, his Masters Degree in Counseling from Boston University, and his Doctorate in Christian Alcohol & Drug Counseling from Trinity Faith Based University. His education also included post graduate courses from several programs of addiction studies. Dr. Belzman received his Master Level MRAS certification from the Breining Institute.

The mission of ACADC is to train and equip effective counselors, intimate with God and biblical wisdom, having received a quality education in the Addiction Counselor Guidelines published in SAMHSA's TAP 21 such that the ACADC Trained and Certified counselor is confident to speak to any condition pertaining the mind, will, and emotions soul and spirit and encompasses all counselor competencies that drug, alcohol and addiction counselors should have.

ACADC Institute Certification Programs include the following:

CSAC I - Entry level substance abuse counselor certification

CSAC II - Advanced level substance abuse counselor certification

CDAAC I-P - Professional level Drug, Alcohol & Addiction Counselor Certification

CDAAC I-S - Professional level Drug, Alcohol & Addiction Counselor Certification with State Certification

CDAAC II-S - Professional level Drug, Alcohol & Addiction Counselor Certification with State Certification

MDAAC - Masters Level Professional Drug, Alcohol & Addiction Counselor Certification

Anger Management Certification

Domestic Violence Prevention Certification

Crisis, Trauma and PTSD Counselor Certification

Addiction Interventionist Certification

Suicide Interventionist Certification

Family Crisis Interventionist Certification

Continuing Education for Professional Addiction Counselors

In 2006, the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education qualified ACADC pursuant to California Education Code (CEC) Section 94739 (b) (6) and granted authorization to offer the following Degree Programs to the public:

Associate of Ministry in Drug, Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Bachelor of Ministry in Drug, Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Master of Ministry in Drug, Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Doctor of Ministry in Drug, Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Master of Divinity - Option 1: Recovery Pastor Ordination - Option 2: Pastoral Counselor Ordination

Approved by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education as a College, the ACADC Institute Degree Programs are also listed as approved degree programs for the public on the California Department of Consumer Affairs website.

In 2006, ACADC has for the first time offered a dual certification program in which anyone holding a CDAAC Certification (Certified Drug, Alcohol & Addiction Counselor), can also test out for the secular RAS (Registered Addiction Specialist). ACADC also began providing state and nation wide Continuing Education training which the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP) Counselor Certification Regulations state must be accepted by all certifying organizations approved by the State of California.

In 2008, ACADC became an approved NAADAC education provider.

We believe that...

1. The Christian Bible is God's inspired and inerrant Word and is complete and sufficient to equip all counselors with the wisdom needed to counsel & set people free from the bondages of abuse and addiction.

2. Over the years, Christian biblical counseling has been removed from the public and professional arenas, and has been replaced by humanistic counseling which has kept a nation of suffering people in deeper bondage and in need of true recovery that only belief in and surrender to Jesus Christ can provide.

3. Surrender to Jesus Christ, the application of biblical truth and wisdom, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to be healed, delivered, and transformed, and willingness to adopt a simple faith based upon trust and surrender to God in a deepening personal relationship with HIM are necessary for lasting recovery.

4. We believe that the true definition of "Addiction" is a condition in which a person attaches his or her affections upon anything other than God to be their main motivating force in life and their source of worship, upon which their hope hangs for peace, joy, satisfaction, pain relief, and meaning in life.
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Non Discrimination Policy

ACADC Institute has a racially nondiscriminatory policy and does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin. ACADC Institute admits students of any race, color, sex, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded of all of its policies and programs.