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๐Ÿง  Counselling & Coaching  ยท  Advanced

Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor

Online Certification  ยท  11 Weeks  ยท  Globally Recognised  ยท  (CADD)

โœ… 2026 Edition ๐ŸŽ“ CPD Accredited ๐ŸŒ 100+ Countries ๐Ÿ“œ Digital + Physical Certificate 100% Online
Executive Summary

Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor

Designed for todayโ€™s high-impact professionals, the Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor (CADD) delivers a rigorous Advanced-level curriculum that equips participants with the knowledge, tools and frameworks needed to excel in counselling, coaching and psychological wellbeing.

This 11 Weeks programme is structured around recognised counselling, coaching and ethical practice standards, ensuring every graduate applies internationally validated methods to real-world challenges.

GLIโ€™s CADD holders are recognised by leading organisations across Africa, the Gulf, Europe and the Americas as qualified, results-driven professionals. Whether you are advancing your current career or transitioning into new responsibilities, this certification provides the competitive edge you need in 2026 and beyond.

Programme Overview

Certification at a Glance

Certification
Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor
Acronym
CADD
Category
Counselling & Coaching
Level
Advanced
Duration
11 Weeks
Delivery Mode
100% Online
Assessment
Online Examination
Certificate
Digital + Physical
CPD Eligibility
CPD Accredited
Alumni Benefits
GLI Network Access
Self-Paced
USD 399
Live Virtual
USD 599
Target Audience

Who Should Enrol?

  • Counsellors and Therapists
  • Coaches and Wellbeing Practitioners
  • Social and Community Workers
  • Helping-Profession Practitioners
Programme Inclusions

Everything Included in Your Enrolment

  • All study materials and study guide
  • Access to GLI online learning portal
  • Online examination and assessment
  • Digital certificate and digital badge
  • Physical certificate (shipped to you)
  • CPD credits for professional bodies
  • GLI alumni network membership
  • Facilitator and tutor support
  • Resource downloads and reference library
  • Automatic enrolment confirmation
Certification Benefits

Why This Certification Matters for Your Career

Career Advancement
Accelerate your career towards senior counselling, clinical and practice-leadership roles
Professional Recognition
Credential aligned with recognised counselling, coaching and ethical practice standards
Leadership Capability
Develop the strategic and operational skills to lead complex counselling functions
Organisational Impact
Design and implement counselling systems that drive performance and measurable results
Compliance Readiness
Master the standards, compliance and ethical governance central to counselling
Global Employability
Qualify for counselling roles across clinics, NGOs, schools, community organisations and private practice worldwide
Competency Framework

Core Competencies You Will Develop

โœฆAddiction and Substance Use Disorders
โœฆAddiction Screening and Case Formulation
โœฆRelapse Prevention Counselling
โœฆIndividual Addiction Counselling
โœฆCo-Occurring Mental Health Challenges
โœฆAddiction Case Management
Course Curriculum

Programme Modules

The full programme, module by module.

Core CurriculumModules 1โ€“20 ยท specific to Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor ยท module 20 is the capstone
1
Foundations of Addiction Counselling
History and scope of counselling and coaching ยท Counselling micro-skills: reflecting, paraphrasing and summarising ยท Career counselling and guidance as a therapeutic practice ยท Addiction and substance use
2
Addiction and Substance Use Disorders
Youth and adolescent substance use ยท The therapeutic alliance and rapport ยท Clinical supervision and reflective practice ยท Measuring therapeutic outcomes
3
Neuropsychology of Addictive Behaviour
Psychoeducation groups: structured teaching that changes behaviour ยท Managing health workers and clinical teams ยท Professional roles, boundaries and settings ยท Ethical principles and codes of practice
4
Substance Use Assessment
Organisational maturity, assessment and improvement programmes ยท Security assessment, vulnerability management and remediation ยท Culturally responsive practice: working with difference rather than around it ยท Experiential and body-based practice in the session
5
Addiction Screening and Case Formulation
Assessment and formulation: understanding before intervening ยท Managing emotions in session ยท Ending sessions and reviews ยท Intake and initial assessment
6
Motivational Interviewing for Addiction
Investigative interviewing: an ethical, evidence-based approach ยท Structured interviewing and selection method ยท Motivational interviewing spirit and skills ยท Motivational interviewing
7
Readiness for Change
Transformational leadership and organisational renewal ยท Change talk and readiness ยท Stages of change and readiness ยท Diagnosing organisational readiness for change
8
Relapse Prevention Counselling
Why practices lapse: obstacles, overcommitment and recovery ยท Ending therapy well: termination, relapse planning and discharge ยท Relapse prevention and maintenance ยท Community-based protection and prevention
9
Craving and Trigger Management
Participatory rural appraisal and needs assessment ยท Personalisation and relationship building ยท Service maturity assessment ยท Data privacy and consent
10
Recovery Planning
Resilience: recovery, adaptability and sustainable performance ยท Service recovery: complaints, resolution and what restores trust ยท Control environment and risk assessment ยท Demand planning, forecasting and the distortion of signals
11
Individual Addiction Counselling
Supervision, ethics and the coachโ€™s own development ยท Working with resistance, ambivalence and stuck clients ยท Ethics, supervision and reflective practice ยท Community entry, mapping and building the relationship
12
Group Addiction Counselling
Supervision, reflective practice and practitioner sustainability ยท Risk assessment and safeguarding in practice ยท Trauma-informed delivery and its limits ยท Practitioner wellbeing and vicarious trauma
13
Family Systems and Addiction
Assessment design and methods ยท Formative and summative assessment ยท Competency-based assessment ยท Accreditation and certification
14
Co-Occurring Mental Health Challenges
Managing service delivery in health, education and technical settings ยท Co-occurring mental health ยท Community mental health and outreach ยท Preventive and public mental health
15
Harm Reduction Approaches
Harm reduction principles ยท Market attractiveness and country assessment ยท Health records: confidentiality, accuracy and access ยท Ethics, confidentiality and professional conduct in HR
16
Recovery Support Networks
Risk assessment methodology and matrices ยท Dynamic and site-specific risk assessment ยท Exposure assessment and monitoring ยท Fire risk assessment
17
Addiction Case Management
Supervision: daily oversight, standards and correction ยท Is training the right intervention? ยท Assessment design, validity and fairness ยท Curriculum architecture and accreditation
18
Treatment Referral and Continuity of Care
Working within competence: scope, referral and continuity of care ยท Working across disciplines: referral, shared care and the client in the middle ยท Supplier relationship management and segmentation ยท Continuity, disruption and organisational resilience
19
Addiction Counselling Outcomes
Vulnerability assessment and surveys ยท Intelligence-led risk assessment ยท Research ethics in practice: consent, harm and the researcherโ€™s obligations ยท Supervision, wellbeing and sustaining protective practice
20
Substance Abuse Counselling Practicum
Quality assurance, standards and accreditation in training ยท Solvency, capital and prudential supervision ยท Ration formulation and least-cost feeding ยท Health records, data and confidentiality
Professional ElectivesModules 21โ€“30 ยท common to all GLI certifications ยท broaden your professional range
21
Strategic Communication and Executive Presentation
Vision, purpose and translating direction into work ยท Audience-centred communication and message structure ยท Executive leadership: the board interface and enterprise stewardship ยท Persuasive structure: framing, evidence and the ask
22
Leadership and Team Effectiveness
Leadership identity, style and the limits of style ยท Leadership assessment, feedback and continuous self-review ยท Leadership versus management and when each is needed ยท Situational and adaptive leadership
23
Analytical Thinking and Evidence-Based Reasoning
Creativity and critical-thinking development ยท Analytical techniques and bias ยท Evidence-based improvement ยท Problem framing: symptoms, definition and scope
24
Professional Decision-Making
Managerial decision-making, bias and decision rights ยท Escalation and decision-making ยท Decision support: briefs, options and judgement under pressure ยท Decision frameworks: criteria, weighting and trade-offs
25
Negotiation, Influence and Stakeholder Management
Negotiation preparation: interests, options and the walk-away ยท Power, followership and organisational politics ยท Negotiation: preparation, interests and value creation ยท Concessions, anchoring and the shape of a bargain
26
Project and Execution Management
Proposals, bids and the business case ยท Project roles and the project manager ยท Developing the project business case ยท Planning, scheduling and personal workflow systems
27
Financial Literacy for Professionals
Financial reporting standards and their application ยท Financial management for the operating manager ยท Liquidity, funding and balance sheet management ยท Management accounting: costing, budgeting and decision support
28
Digital Skills, AI and Technology for Professionals
Digital workplace, collaboration and user support ยท Productivity, collaboration and workflow tools ยท Tools for interaction and collaboration ยท Working with data: quality, interpretation and honest presentation
29
Ethics, Governance and Professional Accountability
Ethical leadership: integrity, tolerated behaviour and moral courage ยท Ethics, conduct and speaking up ยท Business development risk, ethics and integrity ยท AI for managers: adoption, oversight and governance
30
Personal Effectiveness, Productivity and Career Growth
Emotional competence: awareness, regulation and expression ยท Self-awareness, strengths and the accuracy of self-image ยท Emotional intelligence and self-regulation ยท Priority: outcomes, importance and the urgency trap

Every module opens in the learning portal with its full lesson set, worked examples, further reading and video masterclasses. 30 modules ยท 150 lessons.

Learning Outcomes

What You Will Achieve

  • Addiction and Substance Use Disorders โ€” applied to your own work
  • Neuropsychology of Addictive Behaviour โ€” applied to your own work
  • Substance Use Assessment โ€” applied to your own work
  • Addiction Screening and Case Formulation โ€” applied to your own work
  • Motivational Interviewing for Addiction โ€” applied to your own work
  • Readiness for Change โ€” applied to your own work
Our Position

Professional Certifications: Tools for the Continuing Professional Journey

Professional certifications equip, strengthen and continuously tool professionals throughout their current professional journey and within their existing fields of practice. They provide structured opportunities to deepen knowledge, develop specialised competencies, refresh existing capabilities, adopt contemporary practices, and apply practical tools, frameworks and techniques to real-world professional challenges.

01

Tooling, Not Onboarding

Professional certifications are professional tooling and development instruments, not onboarding instruments. They are particularly valuable to professionals who are already working in a field, entering it through an established professional pathway, advancing within it, transitioning across it or specialising in it — and who wish to strengthen their professional capability and effectiveness.

02

Complementary, Never a Substitute

A professional certification does not replace an academic qualification, professional degree, statutory licence, practising certificate, regulatory approval or any other qualification legally required to practise a profession. Where a profession or jurisdiction establishes specific academic, licensing or regulatory requirements, those requirements remain fully applicable.

03

Built for Lifelong Relevance

A professional certification is a complementary professional credential that supports continuing professional development, competence enhancement, specialisation, career progression, professional mobility and lifelong learning. It adds practical professional tooling to an individual’s existing academic and professional foundation, helping professionals remain relevant, capable and effective as their professions, organisations and operating environments evolve.

Enrolment Process

How to Get Certified

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Step 1: Choose Your Certification
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Step 2: Enrol & Pay Online โ€” Instantly
Click Enrol & Study Online to register and pay securely via Paystack, Visa, Mastercard, M-Pesa or bank transfer. Access is granted the moment payment is confirmed.
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Step 3: Study in the GLI Learning Portal
Work through 30 structured modules and 150 lessons at your own pace, with downloadable resources and expert-designed content โ€” all inside the LMS.
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Step 4: Pass, Get Certified & Verified
Sit your final examination online, earn your certificate instantly, and receive a globally verifiable Certificate ID โ€” plus GLI Alumni Network access.
๐ŸŽ“ Enrol & Study Online โ€” Instant Access
Secure checkout ยท Instant LMS access ยท Globally verifiable certificate
Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is the CADD certification?

The Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor is a professional certification awarded by the Global Leadership Institute. It covers 20 core modules specific to Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor, culminating in the capstone “Substance Abuse Counselling Practicum”, plus 10 professional elective modules common to all GLI certifications. Candidates study through the online portal, submit the capstone project and sit a final examination; those who pass receive a verifiable certificate carrying a unique certificate ID.

Who should enrol in the CADD?

This certification is ideal for Counsellors and Therapists, Coaches and Wellbeing Practitioners, Social and Community Workers and Helping-Profession Practitioners, and other professionals seeking to formalise their expertise in counselling, coaching and psychological wellbeing with a globally recognised credential.

How long does the CADD certification take to complete?

The programme is structured over 11 Weeks and offers flexible learning modes. Self-paced learners can progress at their own schedule, while live virtual participants follow a structured cohort schedule with facilitator-led sessions.

Is the CADD internationally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications are recognised across 100+ countries and are aligned with recognised counselling, coaching and ethical practice standards. Graduates receive a digital certificate, a physical certificate and CPD credits recognised by employers worldwide.

What is the cost of the CADD certification?

The Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor is offered in two formats: Self-Paced at USD 399 and Live Virtual at USD 599. Corporate group rates are available for organisations enrolling 5 or more participants. Contact GLI for a bespoke corporate training quotation.

What does the CADD certification include?

Enrolment includes all study materials and study guides, access to GLI's online learning portal, online examination, digital certificate and badge, physical certificate (posted), CPD credits, GLI alumni network membership, and ongoing facilitator support.

What is the assessment format for the CADD?

The Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor is assessed through an online examination consisting of multiple-choice questions, case study analysis, and practical application assignments. The assessment is designed to evaluate real-world competency, not just theoretical recall.

What CPD credits do I earn from the CADD?

The Certified Addiction and Substance Abuse Counsellor carries Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, which can be applied towards professional body requirements including recognised international professional associations.

Can I study the CADD while working full-time?

Absolutely. The self-paced option is designed for busy working professionals and allows you to study when and where it suits you. Live virtual sessions are typically scheduled in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate professional commitments.

What career outcomes can I expect from the CADD?

Graduates progress towards senior counselling, clinical and practice-leadership roles. The CADD strengthens your expertise in counselling, coaching and psychological wellbeing and positions you for advancement across clinics, NGOs, schools, community organisations and private practice.

Graduate Voices

What Our Alumni Say

“

The curriculum was directly applicable to my daily work. I immediately applied what I learned and saw results within weeks of completing the programme.

Clinical Lead
Private Sector
“

GLI's certification is the most practical professional programme I have attended. The international frameworks gave me credibility with my employer and clients.

Senior Counsellor
NGO Sector
“

I earned my CADD while working full-time. The self-paced format made it possible, and the quality of the content is genuinely world-class.

Wellbeing Programme Manager
Government
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