About CADTP

Your Profession • Your Passion • Our Mission

Our Mission

The mission of CADTP’s substance use disorder counselor certification program is to provide quality certification, at a reasonable cost, with a focus on customer service.

The CADTP Organization

The CADTP Certification program is governed by an autonomous board of the California Association of DUI Treatment Programs (CADTP) the CADTP Certification Board. The CADTP association is a non-profit organization formed as a partner to its Member Organizations to promote the understanding and protect the integrity of the California DUI Programs through advocacy, education, and collaboration with Legislators, State and County officials, and other community stakeholders. CADTP was formed as an association in 1986 and incorporated in 1988.

CADTP began certificating counselors, instructors, and administrators in licensed DUI programs in 1988. In April of 2005, the Department of Alcohol & Drug Programs (now the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)) amended the regulations, and a new procedure was required for certification of alcohol and other drug counselors.

CADTP is one of the organizations named in the California Administrative Code, Title 9, Section 13035, with authorization to certify individuals as alcohol or other drug counselors.

The CADTP Certification, known as the Substance Use Disorder Certified Counselor (SUDCC) (formerly the CAODC) has been continuously nationally accredited by ICE/NCCA.  The CADTP certification is approved by DHCS for counselors to work in any state-licensed or certified alcohol and drug treatment program.

CADTP believes a significant part of its responsibility to its members and the SUD program field, in general, is to provide this service and to keep the costs of certification reasonable. CADTP views its customers as a vital aspect of quality certification and strives to provide superior service to those customers; potential counselors, registered and certified counselors, employers, DHCS, and the public.

CADTP is committed to assessing and improving our certification program to ensure the CADTP certification processes are streamlined, the certification meets the needs of the current SUD treatment field, and our technology provides tools for counselors and employers to ensure a strong workforce.

For over 30 years CADTP has held semi-annual educational forums, held each Spring in Southern California and each Fall in Northern California. Attendance at the forums is strong with Continuing Education Units for attendees, relevant topics, and exciting presenters.

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CADTP Leadership

CADTP Staff
Certification Board
Board of Directors

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CADTP is a proud participant in two California grant projects.

DUI MAT Integration/Outreach Project

CADTP is the managing contract for the DUI MAT Integration/Outreach Project. Now in round three of grant funding, CADTP works with 54 DUI Programs located throughout California to provide SUD identification and assessments, SUD and OUD education, MAT and other treament modalities, and additional counseling services for those who enter treatment. For additional information, please visit the project website at https://caduimat.com.

California HEAR US Project

CADTP is pleased to participate as a contractor for the California HEAR US project. The HEAR US project is part of the Behavioral Health Recovery Services Project, which is part of the California Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Response and Rescue Project, which aims to
increase access to behavioral health care for all Californians. CADTP is partnering with The Sierra Health Foundation and Health Management Associates to conduct a survey of certified counselors to determine the barriers to employement in the SUD counseling field.

Dr. Jessica Rodriguez
LAADC-S, ICAADC, MAC, SUDCCIV-CS, BSP, CTRTC, CIP, CTP, CTS, FSS

Dr. Rodriguez was named the Executive Director of Gateway Corp in 2012.  Gateway Corp was developed as a non-profit, public charity and founded October 27, 2011. November 2014, she developed a clinical hub for Gateway Corp called OnSite Strategies. OnSite is also a United States Trademark.

She has held the position of CEO, Clinical Director, Lead Educator and Clinical Trainer as well as the Clinical Business Developer. She has fulfilled the roles of a clinical consultant, professional development consultant and has clinically supervised many SUD/addiction counselors, mental health professionals and addiction and family interventionists for over 12 years.

She has been active in the mental health field since 1995. She has also clinically trained throughout the US and provides clinical oversight for several organizations in California.

Dr. Rodriguez released her first book, “When the Rainbow Ends a Shadow from Heaven Appears" in 2017.” Her newest book, "The Cart, From Adversity to Collateral Beauty" is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2022.

Dr. Rodriguez is currently a writer for Rapporteur Magazine. Her focus is about Mental Wellness also covered topics to include ACE's, trauma, anxiety, and Systemic Racism.

Adriana Popescu, Ph.D.

Dr. Adriana Popescu is a licensed clinical psychologist and empowerment coach with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field. She specializes in treating addictions and trauma, and has directed a number of treatment programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the Founder and CEO of Firebird Healing, a trauma healing program, and the Clinical Director at Avery Lane, an innovative and holistic treatment program for women with co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders and trauma.

Adriana has contributed to a number of books, including TJ Woodward's Conscious Being Workbook, the Conscious Recovery for Addiction and Conscious Recovery for Mental Health Workbooks, and the Conscious Creation Workbook, all of which she co-authored with him.

She has a private practice in San Francisco and travels around the world speaking, coaching, and facilitating transformational and empowering workshops. She also hosts a fascinating podcast called Kaleidoscope of Possibilities – Alternative Perspectives on Mental Health.

Adriana loves to bring the most innovative and effective tools to her work, empowering people to overcome their imagined limitations, release their self-judgments, and discover the brilliance within – creating a life of infinite possibilities.

Her first book, “What If You’re Not as F*cked Up As You Think”, was released in October.

Aven Armstrong-Sutton, Ph.D(c), RSW

Clinical Services Manager at Kinark Child and Family Services

Aven L. Armstrong-Sutton has been a practicing licensed social worker for over a decade. With diverse experience in settings such as health promotion, foster care, youth homelessness, outpatient mental health & addictions, and student support services, Aven currently serves as a Clinical Services Manager at Kinark Child and Family Services, managing a Live-In-Treatment Program and three outpatient treatment programs. Maintaining a part-time private practice, Aven’s multidisciplinary and integrative approach focuses on trauma and resilience among under-served communities.

June Price Tangney, Ph.D

Dr. Tangney received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UCLA. She is currently University Professor and Professor of Psychology at George Mason. She is a Recipient of International Society for Self and Identity’s Distinguished Lifetime Career Award and Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science and of APA’s Division of Personality and Social Psychology.

Dr. Tangney is coauthor (with Ronda Dearing) of Shame and Guilt, coeditor (with Ronda Dearing) of Shame in the Therapy Hour, coeditor (with Jess Tracy and Richard Robins) of The self-conscious emotions: Theory and research, and coeditor (with Mark Leary) of the Handbook of Self and Identity. She has served as Associate Editor for Self and Identity, Consulting Editor for Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Psychological Assessment, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, and Journal of Personality, and is currently Associate Editor of American Psychologist.

Her research on the development and implications of moral emotions has been funded by NIDA, NICHD, NSF, and the John Templeton Foundation. Currently, her work focuses on moral emotions among incarcerated offenders. She draws on theory and research in psychology and criminology to develop novel interventions that leverage inmates’ moral emotions and prosocial values. A recipient of GMU’s Teaching Excellence Award, Dr. Tangney strives to integrate service, teaching and clinically-relevant research in both the classroom and her lab.

Christina Veselak, MS, LMFT, CN

Founder and Director of the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition

Christina T. Veselak, MS, LMFT, CN, is the founder and director of the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition, which teaches practitioners around the world how to use diet, along with amino acid and nutrient therapy, to help prevent cravings and recurrent drug use. She has been a licensed psychotherapist working in the SUD treatment field since 1985 and a certified nutritionist specializing in mental health and addiction recovery since 1993.

Sean Bezdek, LMFT, MBA

Sean is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 25 years of experience working in mental health and substance abuse settings, in inpatient, PHP, and private practice. He holds b a master’s degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Philips Institute and an MBA from Baker College.

Sean’s clinical practice has specialized in working with Personality Disorders, Couples, Adolescents, and individual suffering from chronic mental illness. As a clinician Sean enjoys working with clients who can be resistant to traditional treatment and believes in the philosophy of “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. BUT you can feed them saltines to make them thirsty!”

Sean is the Program Director for Akua Mind Body’s Sacramento inpatient mental health program. His prior leadership experience includes oversight of acute inpatient, utilization management, hospice/palliative care, home health and skilled nursing. Sean’s approach to management is to ensure the work that needs to get done gets done. “Our job is patient care. This include everything from making coffee to running groups. There is not one person who is more important that the other when it comes to providing exceptional care to the clients we serve.”