About us

ICAADA, a subsidiary of Mental Health America of Indiana, provides credentialing for behavioral health professionals. ICAADA provides behavioral health professionals with credentials, membership, and advocacy that validate the professionals’ competencies to provide person-focused, evidence-based behavioral health services.

History

ICAADA was first formed In September 1973 by a group of dedicated and forward-looking substance use professionals. ICAADA started as an association of substance use professionals and persons interested in the field. It was quickly decided there needed to be a process designed to establish a credential that would certify a person’s competency relates to substance use treatment.

ICAADA is Indiana’s longest tenures substance use certification organization. In 1976, with the cooperation of what was then the Department of Mental Health, Division of Addictions Services, ICAADA began the process of certification with the first credential being the Certified Alcohol Counselor (CAC). In 1977 a second credential, the Certified Drug Counselor (CDC), was established. And in 1978, ICAADA established the Certified Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor (CADAC) credential (now known as the Certified Alcohol and Drug Addiction Consultant).

In 1979, a meeting was held in Merrillville, Indiana between representatives of ICAADA and the credentialing boards of Michigan and Wisconsin. A reciprocity agreement was reached which became the foundation of what is now the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). IC&RC was incorporated in 1981 to become the first international substance use certification organization. ICAADA, along with the boards of Michigan and Wisconsin, laid the groundwork for what is now an internationally recognized organization that has 73-member credentialing boards worldwide, representing over 35,000 certified addiction professionals from 41 states, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Puerto Rico, as a well as several branches of the armed forces.

For fifty years, ICAADA has been committed to public protection through the establishment of quality, competency-based certification programs for professionals engaged in the prevention, treatment and recovery of behavioral health concerns. ICAADA continues to be an industry leader on the state, national and international levels related to behavioral health certification.


Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors provide leadership, and oversight, related to the efforts, and activities, of ICAADA. The Board of Directors strives to support decision making that will advance the behavioral health field while ensure the professionals ICAADA credentials are maximizing the outcomes for the populations served.


ICAADA Team

The ICAADA team works tirelessly to identify, support, and advance credentialing methods that will validate the high quality education, and skills, ICAADA credential holders possess. Meet some of the exceptional team members who ensure ICAADA provides quality professional credentialing.