New SUD Counselor Registration

Complete the Initial Registration Application Online

Important Message: Please read all of the information on this page before beginning the online application process. You must have the proper documents available to upload before submitting the form. If you prefer a document with this information, please download it here: Procedures for Online Registration for New SUD Counselors.

Register Here to Begin your Career as an SUD Counselor

Regulations adopted by the California Department of Health Care Services. (DHCS), as effective April 1, 2005, require individuals who are not licensed professionals or who have not been previously certified, as specified in the regulations, to register with one of the designated certifying organizations listed on the DHCS website. Before processing this application, CADTP will verify that you are not now or were previously registered.

Before processing this application, CADTP will verify that you are not now or were previously registered. If you were or have registered with another California certifying agency (CCAPP or CAADE), you must use the Reciprocity Application and, if applicable, the Renewal Application.

Allow 2 weeks for processing. Incomplete applications will be returned and must be resubmitted. Rush services are available in 10 and 5 business day increments (see below).

SUD Counselors are the Best!

To submit a paper application, please download and print it here: CADTP Initial Registration Application.

California Resident Requirement

To be eligible for registration you must reside in California at least 51% of the time. If you provide an out-of-state license or out-of-state mailing address, we will require proof of state residency.

Selection of Certifying Agency

California regulations allow employers to determine which of the certifying organization certifications they will accept. Potential registrants are advised to check with their employer, if any, before registering.

Registration is the Path to Certification

Registration is not equivalent to and is not an alternative to certification. Once you are registered, you must complete the requirements for certification within five years.

Completion of Registrant’s Orientation (9-hour Course)

Applicants for registration are required to complete a 9-hour orientation class prior to registration, consisting of 3 hours of SUD Ethics, 3 hours of SUD Confidentiality, and 3 hours of SUD Professional Boundaries. This can be done in a single combined class on the three subjects. You must submit official proof of completion with this application. Please do not complete the application below until you have fulfilled this requirement. To locate an approved course, click here: Approved Registrant’s Orientation Courses

 

Steps to Register (Read This!)

1. Complete the Online Application following these steps:

  • Enter all required information.
  • Upload all required documents into the Online Application Form.
  • Enter your demographics.
  • Pay the non-refundable application fee, include any rush services desired.
  • Press Submit. Your contact and other information will be automatically transferred to the Registrant Application, ready for your signature. You will also receive a receipt via email for the processed application fee.

2. Sign the Registrant Application

  • Read the Registrant Application, Uniform Code of Conduct, and the CADTP Code of Ethics.
  • Initial where indicated, Sign, and Date the application.
  • You will receive a copy in the email address provided in the Application Form.

    Required Documents

    All items below must be included in your application. The online application process allows you to enter your information, upload documents, and sign applications.

    Before you start the process, ensure that you have all required documents available including:

    • Official Certificate – 9-Hour Orientation Course
    • Copy of official ID (Driver’s license)
    • 2” x 2” passport-style photograph of the applicant
    • Proof of Residence (0nly if submitting an out of state license)
    • Payment of $75 (Non-Refundable), plus any desired rush services

    Standard processing time is 14 days from the date the complete application is received at CADTP.

    Review of the Process for Registering Online

     

    Step One - New California SUD Counselor

    Application Form

    Complete the Application form on this page, upload documents, enter demographics, and pay the registration fee.

    When you press Submit. Your information will transfer to the Online Application.

    Step 2: New SUD Counselor

    Registrant Application and Codes of Conduct

    Read and sign the Registrant Application, Uniform Code of Conduct, and CADTP Code of Conduct

    Step One - New California SUD Counselor

    Success!

    Congratulations for taking this important first step in your new career!

    You will receive an email copy of your receipt and signed documents.

    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.”