- This advanced or “Professional Track” Addiction Studies Certificate Program requires completing 45 units (450 hours) of coursework
- This program may be completed entirely through Distance Learning
- You will spend 10 hrs / week on your work, so you should finish your written assignments in about 11 months
- After you complete the coursework, you must take and pass the Addiction Counselor Exam (ACE), administered internationally by Breining Institute.
Admission into the Addiction Studies Certificate Program requires high school graduation and/or General Education Development (GED) equivalent. The requirements for an Addiction Studies Certificate include successful completion of 45 Quarter units (450 hours) in the core Addictions Studies coursework listed here.
PLEASE NOTE: Successful completion of this Certificate Program requires an Internship of 255 hours* of supervised Alcohol and Other Drug training based on the curriculum contained in the TAP 21 Counselor Competencies documented by the appropriate agency supervisor(s) in an agency of the student’s choice. Breining Institute does not offer placement services, and it is the responsibility of the student to procure the internship position.
The coursework includes:
- Introduction and history
- National and local program approaches
- Review of family systems
- Development of personality and denial
- Cultural and lifestyle differences in CD/Special Populations
- Prevention, Intervention and Education
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Legal and Confidentiality Issues/Ethics/Prevention Sexual Harassment
- Self Help Groups/Twelve Step Therapy
- Disease Concept of Addiction
- Physiology and Pharmacology
- Illicit Drug Abuse
- Medical Treatment
- Fetal Alcohol and Drug Syndromes
- Perinatal Care and CD
- HIV / ARC / AIDS / Communicable Diseases
- Smoking Addiction
- Eating Disorders
- Compulsive Gambling
- Sexual and other Behavioral Addictions
- Co-Dependency
- Gender and Sexuality issues
- Role/Responsibility of the Counselor
- Intervention Techniques
- Individual Counseling Techniques
- Group Counseling Techniques
- Family Counseling Techniques
- Personal and Professional Growth
- Relapse and Burn-out Prevention
- Therapeutic Approaches in Treatment
- Assertiveness Training
- Adolescent Counseling Techniques
* Note: The supervised Alcohol and Other Drug training Internship hours requirement was increased from 160 to 255 for students enrolling commencing in 2018. Students enrolled and actively completing assignments before this change will only be required to complete the 160 hours. Students enrolling or reenrolling commencing in 2018 will be required to complete 255 hours.
Helpful Links
Application for Admission
(Please note: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, new enrollments are not currently being accepted.)
ASC Course Online Answer Sheets
Breining and ASC Course accredited by CAADE
Breining Institute is pleased to announce it has joined the class of distinguished educational institutions that have earned formal accreditation from the prestigious California Statewide Accreditation Committee of the California Association for Alcohol / Drug Educators (CAADE).
CAADE describes its accreditation guidelines as “rigorous,” and that, having met these guidelines, “accreditation by CAADE distinguishes your students as among the most highly trained in the state.”
More information about the CAADE Accreditation is available at this link: CAADE Accreditation
National NAADAC-approved education provider
Breining Institute is pleased to be one of the distinguished educational institutions that have earned formal Approved Education Provider status from the nationally-recognized NAADAC – The Association for Addiction Professionals.
NAADAC says of its approval that the “rigorous review process ensures that learners receive a consistent, reliable, and quality learning experience that is applicable to their careers and advances their understanding of addiction and co-occurring disorders-related issues.”
The Breining Institute education provider number with NAADAC is 81727.
Please note: Because the individual courses included within the Breining Institute Addiction Studies Certificate (ASC) Program are used to earn a professional credential, the individual courses within the ASC Program do not quality for NAADAC continuing education (CE) credits.
More information about the NAADAC approval is available at this link: NAADAC Approval
Apple Discounts
Breining Institute students and faculty receive special education pricing on Apple computers, software, and other products at Apple retail store locations and at the online Apple Store for Education