Certified Co-occurring Disorders Specialist (CCDS) Credential

Breining Institute credentials are held by healthcare professionals located in 49 U.S. States, 20 countries, and are held by U.S. Armed Forces personnel located throughout the world.

Breining Institute offers these nationally administered credentials so that health care professionals may demonstrate their specialized and advanced training in certain areas of practice. Please note that these credentials do not independently authorize an individual to practice without underlying professional certification or licensure, and you should check and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to you within your region.

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Eligibility

  • 3 years general AOD/SUD experience, and
  • Complete any two of the specified online Co-occurring Disorders Continuing Education Course Bundles (for a total of 30 hours) from Breining Institute.

$75 application fee.
No membership dues.
Renewal is every 2 years.

Links

Co-occurring Disorders Continuing Education Courses
Online CCDS Application
Clinical Experience Verification Form

CCDS Application Fee Payment

If you have not previously submitted credit card authorization for the CCDS Application Fee, you may select the following link to make a payment: $75 CCDS Credential Application Fee

Qualifications for the Certified Co-occurring Disorders Specialist (CCDS) Credential

The Certified Co-occurring Disorders Specialist (CCDS) Credential is available to individuals with an underlying healthcare professional license or certification from a State-approved or recognized, or nationally-recognized, licensing or certification agency, when they meet the CCDS standards and document their eligibility.

Submit your application using the Online CCDS Application Form. Before the application is considered complete, we will need to receive all of the applicable documents requested. If you are unable to upload the documents using the Online Application Form, send the documents to us by email.

Eligibility Checklist

You will need to document the following:

  • CURRENT CERTIFICATION OR LICENSE
    • Must hold current healthcare professional license or certification from a State-approved or recognized, or nationally-recognized, licensing or certification agency
  • EDUCATION: 30-HOURS of ONLINE CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES
    • Complete any two of the online Co-occurring Disorders Continuing Education Course Bundles (for a total of 30 hours) from Breining Institute
  • EXPERIENCE
    • Three years full time or 6,000 hours clinical experience in general alcohol and other drug / substance use disorders (AOD/SUD) counseling
    • Have a qualified employer representative complete and submit the online Clinical Experience Verification Form in order to submit the information directly to Breining Institute

Acceptable Substitutes for Experience Requirement

The minimum clinical experience required is 2,000 hours (or 1 year)

Acceptable substitutes for up to 4,000 hours of experience may include a degree. A degree in addiction studies or the healing arts may substitute as follows:

  • AA or AS degree may substitute for 2,000 hours of clinical experience
  • BA or BS, MA or MS, or Doctorate degree may substitute for 4,000 hours of clinical experience

Renewal Requirement

  • Every two years
  • Continuing Education (CE) requirement every two years is 30 hours

Verify Credential
To verify whether someone has been awarded the CCDS Credential from Breining Institute, select the following link to the International Certified / Credentialed Counselors (CCCo) database: International CCCo Verification

Registered Service Marks
These credentials are registered service marks of Breining Institute, and may only be used by professionals who have been awarded these credentials by Breining Institute:
“Certified Co-occurring Disorders Specialist” and “CCDS” credentials: Service Mark Reg. No. 67864, Class Number 41