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, Spanish, and Sinhala.

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

Special Population Endorsements (coming soon):

– Family-based Prevention – School-based Prevention
– Community-based Prevention – Workplace-based Prevention
– Environment-based Prevention – Media-based Prevention

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 I exam is available in English, Spanish, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Burmese, Russian and Sinhala, Korean, and Arabic.

Candidates can prepare for this exam by studying The Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Basic Series.

The ICAP-Treatment II exam is available in English, Spanish, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Burmese, Russian and Sinhala, Korean, and Arabic.

The ICAP-Treatment III exam is available in English, Spanish, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Burmese, Russian and Sinhala, Korean, and Arabic.

The ICAP-Treatment IV exam is available in English, Spanish, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Burmese, Russian and Sinhala, Korean, and Arabic.

Candidates can prepare for this exam by studying the Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Advanced Courses and other resources such as those found in the SAMHSA’s Knowledge Application Program (KAP) and NIDA’s Good Clinical Practice Resources

Special Population Endorsements (coming soon):

Specialized Treatment for Women
Specialized Treatment for Children

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, Spanish, and Indonesian.

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:

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

Ethics Violation

All credentialed and/or certified professionals must subscribe to the ethical standards in the practice of their profession. All ethical matters are considered by the GCCC Commission’s Ethics Committee. 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, click here to download form. Attach the form to email and send to: [email protected]. Please put “Confidential” in the subject line.

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.

Renewal Requirements

Initial credentialing under this programme is valid for a period of 3 years from the date of credential issue. After 3 years, the candidate will be required to renew. Individuals are required to comply with the following requirements:

Documentation of 40 contact hours of education/training during the 3 year period of practice. Of the 40 contact hours, 20 hours must be on SUD-related matters. The other 20 hours may be in other subjects but should be related to the development of the professional’s expertise in the field, including a minimum of 4 hours of ethics training. All training must be provided by a GCCC-approved training provider.
Submission of the completed application for the renewal of the appropriate level of credential and professional agreement to continue to adhere to the GCCC Code of Ethics for Credentialed addiction professionals.
Payment of non-refundable application fee.

All renewal applicants must submit the documents to [email protected] on or before the deadline posted for the review of qualifications. Please put ICAP Renewal Application in the subject line of the email.

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 GCCC 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.