CADC CERTIFIED DRUG AND ALCOHOL COUNSELOR 2025/2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔All of the following are indicators that a person would be appropriate for inpatient
treatment except:
a. Continued use of marijuana
b. Use of alcohol to prevent withdrawal symptoms
c. Cocaine use that impairs functioning at work
d. Inability to engage in daily living skills - ✔✔a. Continued use of marijuana
A referral for inpatient treatment is appropriate when a person's use is having a
significant impairment on their daily living skills, threatens their safety and/or safety of
others around them and a risk of death. Answer a does not include a description of any
impact on daily living skills.
✔✔Thomas is currently engaged in group and individual counseling with you and has a
diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder, Severe and ADHD. Thomas has a positive Urine
Drug Screen for stimulants and reported that he is currently prescribed stimulants for his
ADHD by Dr. Smith.Which of the following actions would not be appropriate for you to
do?
a. Collaborate with Dr. Smith regularly.
b. Continue to have Urine Drugs screens to monitor medication compliance.
c. Encourage Thomas to stop using his medication due to risk for cross addiction.
d. Sign a consent of release for Dr. Smith. - ✔✔c. Encourage Thomas to stop using his
medication due to risk for cross addiction.
Medication regimen and recommendations is likely not in your professional scope,
therefore is not appropriate for you to be changing. Through continued collaboration
with his prescriber, you are able to verbalize any concerns you may have about cross
addiction and misuse of the medication.
✔✔Treatment plans should be updated_________.
a. once per month
b. continuously
c. every 8 weeks
d. after a relapse - ✔✔b. continuously
Treatment plans should be updated to reflect progress and regressions. Objectives and
goals should be realistic and attainable.
✔✔Sara is currently engaged in group and individual sessions with you. A current goal
is to receive the Vivitrol injection to aide in her abstinence from opiate use. As her
counselor, how can you best support her?
, a. Trust that she is honest about her use with her prescriber.
b. Identify barriers to this goal and aide in developing skills to manage them.
c. Collaborate with her prescriber regarding compliance and treatment plan.
d. Both b and c - ✔✔d. Both b and c
Collaborating with her prescriber will provide a team approach which will aide in
communication. For example, if Sara were to relapse days before the injection,
receiving the Vivitrol injection would induce withdrawal symptoms. Identifying barriers
and identifying skills would help Sara maintain sobriety until she is able to receive the
injection.
✔✔Who should be involved in developing the treatment plan?
a. Counselor and their supervisor
b. Counselor and the client
c. Counselor only
d. Counselor, their supervisor and the client - ✔✔b. Counselor and the client
Treatment plans should be a collaboration between the counselor and the client. Goals
and objectives should be realistic and align with the client's goals. Using the Stages of
Change Model can help the clinician offer appropriate goals.
✔✔Mary just completed her intake session with you. Her use of alcohol has had a
significant negative impact on her life. Consequences of her use were discord with her
husband, missing her children's soccer games, daily use of alcohol and decreased
productivity at work. Which consequence should be addressed first?
a. Attain and maintain sobriety.
b. Attend her children's soccer game this week.
c. Improve communication with her husband.
d. Improve her performance at work. - ✔✔a. Attain and maintain sobriety.
Attaining sobriety should be the first goal. Once that is accomplished, other
consequences can be addressed appropriately.
✔✔At what phase of treatment does case management begin?
a. At the first counseling session
b. At the first contact with client
c. When the treatment plan is created
d. At the client's intake session - ✔✔d. At the client's intake session
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔All of the following are indicators that a person would be appropriate for inpatient
treatment except:
a. Continued use of marijuana
b. Use of alcohol to prevent withdrawal symptoms
c. Cocaine use that impairs functioning at work
d. Inability to engage in daily living skills - ✔✔a. Continued use of marijuana
A referral for inpatient treatment is appropriate when a person's use is having a
significant impairment on their daily living skills, threatens their safety and/or safety of
others around them and a risk of death. Answer a does not include a description of any
impact on daily living skills.
✔✔Thomas is currently engaged in group and individual counseling with you and has a
diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder, Severe and ADHD. Thomas has a positive Urine
Drug Screen for stimulants and reported that he is currently prescribed stimulants for his
ADHD by Dr. Smith.Which of the following actions would not be appropriate for you to
do?
a. Collaborate with Dr. Smith regularly.
b. Continue to have Urine Drugs screens to monitor medication compliance.
c. Encourage Thomas to stop using his medication due to risk for cross addiction.
d. Sign a consent of release for Dr. Smith. - ✔✔c. Encourage Thomas to stop using his
medication due to risk for cross addiction.
Medication regimen and recommendations is likely not in your professional scope,
therefore is not appropriate for you to be changing. Through continued collaboration
with his prescriber, you are able to verbalize any concerns you may have about cross
addiction and misuse of the medication.
✔✔Treatment plans should be updated_________.
a. once per month
b. continuously
c. every 8 weeks
d. after a relapse - ✔✔b. continuously
Treatment plans should be updated to reflect progress and regressions. Objectives and
goals should be realistic and attainable.
✔✔Sara is currently engaged in group and individual sessions with you. A current goal
is to receive the Vivitrol injection to aide in her abstinence from opiate use. As her
counselor, how can you best support her?
, a. Trust that she is honest about her use with her prescriber.
b. Identify barriers to this goal and aide in developing skills to manage them.
c. Collaborate with her prescriber regarding compliance and treatment plan.
d. Both b and c - ✔✔d. Both b and c
Collaborating with her prescriber will provide a team approach which will aide in
communication. For example, if Sara were to relapse days before the injection,
receiving the Vivitrol injection would induce withdrawal symptoms. Identifying barriers
and identifying skills would help Sara maintain sobriety until she is able to receive the
injection.
✔✔Who should be involved in developing the treatment plan?
a. Counselor and their supervisor
b. Counselor and the client
c. Counselor only
d. Counselor, their supervisor and the client - ✔✔b. Counselor and the client
Treatment plans should be a collaboration between the counselor and the client. Goals
and objectives should be realistic and align with the client's goals. Using the Stages of
Change Model can help the clinician offer appropriate goals.
✔✔Mary just completed her intake session with you. Her use of alcohol has had a
significant negative impact on her life. Consequences of her use were discord with her
husband, missing her children's soccer games, daily use of alcohol and decreased
productivity at work. Which consequence should be addressed first?
a. Attain and maintain sobriety.
b. Attend her children's soccer game this week.
c. Improve communication with her husband.
d. Improve her performance at work. - ✔✔a. Attain and maintain sobriety.
Attaining sobriety should be the first goal. Once that is accomplished, other
consequences can be addressed appropriately.
✔✔At what phase of treatment does case management begin?
a. At the first counseling session
b. At the first contact with client
c. When the treatment plan is created
d. At the client's intake session - ✔✔d. At the client's intake session
