Available courses


Essential information including the CAC Handbook, Most Frequently Asked Questions about Certification, Jurisprudence Exam study information, and When to Get Into the DORA Database.

If you have misplaced your certificate from any Seven Cedars class we will be happy to replace it. Please pay the $10 fee for each certificate replacement, then notify Sandy McFall which duplicates you need.

Addiction Counseling Skills, 3 Days Live taught by teleconference 

March 27 - 29, 2024

In this three-day Technician live course we will provide a framework for a client-centered, counselor-directed counseling model effective in working with substance abuse clients. Students will learn the counseling skills needed to help clients move toward change utilizing a motivational style and spirit.

Addiction Counseling Skills

Live via teleconference June 12 - 14, 2024 

Addiction Counseling Skills

Live via teleconference August 7- 9, 2024 

Addiction Counseling Skills

Live via teleconference September 18 - 20, 2024 

Addiction Counseling Skills

Live via teleconference November 13 - 15, 2024 

April 1 - 24, 2024

14 Hours of Specialist Credit taught over two weeks

Client motivation and commitment to treatment begins with the assessment and diagnostic phase that typically occurs at intake. This Level II course will consider the differences between screening and assessment and use of assessment instruments. The class will consider the components of the clinical assessment such as a bio-psychosocial interview, assessing risk for self-harm, identifying cultural needs and supports, problem domains, determining stage of readiness for change and strengths of the client. Determining diagnosis and resulting level of care for the client will be discussed using the ASAM PPC-2. Stages of treatment and systems of care will be covered along with facets of treatment planning.

Advanced Case Conceptualization & Documentation

Online September 16 - 27, 2024

May 6 - 17, 2024

14 Hours of CAC Specialist credit taught over two weeks

This is a training designed to provide an overview of the specialized models of counseling for behavioral health environments that provide services to co-occurring mental health and addiction interventions. The purpose of the training is to provide information and instruction into those advanced models so that clinical supervisors will have the basic knowledge required to provide adequate support and supervision for these models. The focus of the training is to teach the structure, purpose, appropriate population, and practice details of each model that is covered in the training.


Advanced Models in Addiction Treatment

Online December 2 - 13, 2024

Advanced Motivational Interviewing 

Live via Zoom May 23 - 24, 2024

This 14-hour live Specialist course will offer a brief review of the fundamental spirit, principles and skills of MI, then focus intensively on advanced MI clinical skills development. It is expected that participants will be able to demonstrate the foundational MI skills by conducting a client interview using the OARS, and responding to no‐change talk (resistance). The format will be interactive and experiential in nature, and participants will receive individualized feedback from student and trainer ratings.

Advanced Motivational Interviewing 

Live via teleconference December 5 - 6, 2024


May 20 - 31, 2024

14-hour Specialist/LAC course offered over two weeks

      Neuroscience and genetic research on addiction continues to make significant progress toward understanding the changes in the brain that underlie drug use and addictive behaviors. This research has the potential to significantly affect both the way in which we think about addiction, and those that suffer from it. Addictive drugs have habit-forming actions that can be localized to a variety of brain regions that can activate the reward circuitry in the brain. This Specialist/LAC 14-hour two week class will explore the neurobiological basis of addiction and how addictive drugs produce neurochemical changes in the brain’s reward pathway. It will also explore new technologies for treatment and prevention based on brain science.

Advanced Pharmacology

Online November 4 - 15, 2024

Live by teleconference - May 2 - 3, 2024

14 hours of Specialist/LAC credit

Includes a comprehensive overview of ethical and risk management issues, professional conduct and professional boundaries, dual relationships, professional distance, healthy therapeutic boundaries and counselor self‐disclosure. Standards of care, licensing board regulations, case law, codes of ethics, and guidelines for ethical risk management will be presented along with the ethics of delivering professional counseling services to persons of culturally diverse backgrounds.


Advanced Professional & Ethical Practice

Live by teleconference - July 18 - 19, 2024

14 hours of Specialist/LAC credit

Includes a comprehensive overview of ethical and risk management issues, professional conduct and professional boundaries, dual relationships, professional distance, healthy therapeutic boundaries and counselor self‐disclosure. Standards of care, licensing board regulations, case law, codes of ethics, and guidelines for ethical risk management will be presented along with the ethics of delivering professional counseling services to persons of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Advanced Professional & Ethical Practice

Live by teleconference - September 12 -13, 2023

14 hours of Specialist/LAC credit

Includes a comprehensive overview of ethical and risk management issues, professional conduct and professional boundaries, dual relationships, professional distance, healthy therapeutic boundaries and counselor self‐disclosure. Standards of care, licensing board regulations, case law, codes of ethics, and guidelines for ethical risk management will be presented along with the ethics of delivering professional counseling services to persons of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Advanced Professional & Ethical Practice

Live by teleconference - November 21 - 22, 2023

14 hours of Specialist/LAC credit

Includes a comprehensive overview of ethical and risk management issues, professional conduct and professional boundaries, dual relationships, professional distance, healthy therapeutic boundaries and counselor self‐disclosure. Standards of care, licensing board regulations, case law, codes of ethics, and guidelines for ethical risk management will be presented along with the ethics of delivering professional counseling services to persons of culturally diverse backgrounds.

May 27 - June 7, 2024


14 hours of Technician coursework offered over two weeks

This required CAC Technician class is designed to provide the counselor with an understanding of the client clinical record. Participants in this training will learn how to properly document for the clinical record including intake documents, assessments, referrals, releases of information, treatment plans, progress notes, and discharge summaries as well as report writing for mandated referral sources.

Case Conceptualization & Documentation

Online September 23 - October 4, 2024

Case Conceptualization & Documentation

Online December 9 - 20, 2024

HYBRID course - one week online followed by two days live 

Online May 6 - 10, 2024

Live via teleconference May 16 - 17, 2024

CAS/LAC course taught one week online and two days live. Clinical supervision is the process by which the clinical practice provided by the counselor is evaluated. This class prepares the addiction counselor with basic supervision tools and models to use as a standard of practice. We cover counselor/supervisor developmental level, cultural and contextual factors, ethical and legal issues, performance monitoring, and supervisory competencies. Some videotaping will occur. 

Clinical Supervision I HYBRID

Online August 5 - 9, 2024

Live via teleconference August 15 - 16, 2024


Clinical Supervision I HYBRID

Online October 28 - November 1, 2024

Live via teleconference November 7 - 8, 2024


March 28 - 29, 2024

Live via teleconference 

CAC Specialist/LAC course, 2 days live

The key to supporting the use of Motivational Interviewing in counseling is supervisory feedback and coaching. This two-day live course features Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA: STEP), which trains supervisees to use Motivational Interviewing in client assessments for joining and engaging the client, receiving better and more accurate information during the assessment, and improving client commitment to treatment following the assessment.

Clinical Supervision II

Live via teleconference June 20 - 21, 2024

Clinical Supervision II

Live via teleconference September 19 - 20, 2024

Clinical Supervision II

Live via teleconference December 19 - 20, 2024

October 14 - 25, 2024

14-hour Specialist class taught over two weeks.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment approach that has gained widespread application in the treatment of addictions and mental disorders. CBT has been extensively researched and has solid empirical support as an evidence-based treatment for addictions. CBT is structured, goal-oriented, and focused on the immediate problems faced by substance abusers entering treatment who are struggling to control their substance use. It is a flexible, individualized approach that can be adapted to a wide range of clients and a wide range of treatment settings and formats. It works well with individuals as well as group therapy. Participants in this course will learn and practice effective ways to integrate tools specific to CBT in a comprehensive treatment strategy.

August 19 - 30, 2024

14 Hours of Specialist training taught over two weeks

This CAC Specialist class presents the basics of working with clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. There is a strong need to recognize and address the interrelationship of these disorders, along with the medical implications for the client, through the use of specialized approaches and integration of treatment. This class will address clinical assessment, treatment philosophy, strategies, and guidelines to provide integrated treatment with co-occurring disorders.  It will include an introduction to the diagnostic criteria for the mental disorders most often seen with substance use disorders.  The essential values, attitudes, and competencies of the counselor working with this population are discussed. Evidence based practices and models of integrated treatment are presented.

 May 13 - 24, 2024

14 hours of Technician CAC credit offered over two weeks

The professional counselor has an obligation to understand the client’s context and learn to communicate in a manner that the client is likely to be able to hear, understand and accept. The counselor must have the courage and insight to explore their own biases and misconceptions of others with cultural and ethnic differences. This class will provide a basic foundation for understanding how cultural competence, awareness and sensitivity can improve quality of care and increase positive outcomes. Cultural variables and dynamics are not exclusive to race and ethnicity alone. Cultural variables to be considered will include age, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, language, educational level, physical ability, economic status and social class as well as racial and ethnic backgrounds, all of which can be influential in the therapeutic process. Individual differences when considered in a cultural context can become strengths and resources for recovery.

This course is intended to provide participants with basic skills to recognize and respect the behavior, ideas, attitudes, values, beliefs, customs, language, rituals, ceremonies and practices characteristic of diverse groups of people. Course design will include definitions and descriptions of culture including concepts of assimilation and acculturation. Exercises will involve self-examination and discussion of the evolution of one’s own personal beliefs, values and attitudes.

Culturally Informed Treatment

Online September 2 -13, 2024

Culturally Informed Treatment

Online November 4 -15, 2024

April 15 - 26, 2024

14-Hour Technician Course offered online over two weeks

      Knowledge of ethics and jurisprudence for the addiction counselor is essential for safe practice. This class will present one day focused on ethical issues specific to the practice of addiction counseling and a second day focusing on jurisprudence, which is the law and the practice of psychotherapy in Colorado. The class will cover the Colorado Mental Health Practice Act that regulates the practice of psychotherapy in Colorado, and introduce the student to the regulatory system and the role of DORA (Dept of Regulatory Agencies) and OBH (Office of Behavioral Health) in the development and credentialing of the addiction counselor. There will be an emphasis on developing ethical decision making skills, knowledge of confidentiality and the prohibited activities in the Mental Health Practice Act. The addiction counselor will become familiar with the NAADAC Code of Ethics and acquire the tools for ethical and legal practice. 

Ethical Practice in Addiction Treatment

Online August 19 - 30, 2024

Ethical Practice in Addiction Treatment

Online October 14 - 25, 2024

HYBRID - Online May 6 - 10, 2024

Two days live via teleconference May 16 - 17, 2024

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days 


21 Hours of Technician credit taught one week online and two days live

Often group counseling is more effective in treating substance abuse clients, due to the fact it reduces isolation, enables group members to have their experiences “normalized” by hearing others with stories similar to their own, and helps members to benefit from the recovery experiences of others. Groups provide positive peer support and reinforce social skills often lost during using. Effective group facilitation requires special skills and leadership qualities of the group leader. This course will provide instruction and practice for group counselors in the following areas: group therapy for the culturally diverse and special populations; actual group facilitation, including opening and closing groups, setting norms and goals, managing process, transitioning members in and out, moving groups through content and process, and managing difficult behaviors; plus appropriate charting techniques for group process.

One week of didactic preparation material will be delivered online over one week, followed by two days live.

Group Counseling Skills HYBRID

Online August 5 - 9, 2024

Live via teleconference August 15 - 16, 2024


Group Counseling Skills HYBRID

Online September 30 - October 4, 2024

Live via teleconference October 10 - 11, 2024


March 11 - 22, 2024

14 hour Specialist course offered over two weeks

In this training, the focus will be on the complex relationship between the client’s drugs of choice, lifestyle choices, and physiological health. Discussions will include immune system health, liver function, harm reduction and specific diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Strategies will be presented for screening to determine level of risk, referral, and education about disease prevention and treatment.

March 11 - 15, 2024  Online

March 21 - 22, 2024  live via Zoom - FULL

April 4 - 5, 2024 live via Zoom

Motivational Interviewing is a client-centered collaborative style of conversation designed to strengthen a person’s motivation for and commitment to change. MI is counselor-directed in that the counselor is skilled at managing ambivalence, eliciting change-talk and honoring the client’s autonomy about taking the next step toward a commonly agreed upon goal (Miller & Rollnick, 2010). Over 200 studies to date have demonstrated the effectiveness of the model at increasing client engagement, retention, compliance and improving treatment outcomes. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has identified MI as a best practice within the addiction treatment field.

In this hybrid course you will be introduced to the concepts and tenets of Motivational Interviewing during the one-week didactic portion of class, worth 7 hours. Then the following week you will meet for in-person instruction for two days (14 hours) of practice with our expert Motivational Interviewing instructor via Zoom.  Satisfactory completion of both modules is required to pass the course. 

Group Counseling Skills HYBRID

Online July 8 - 12, 2024

Live via teleconference July 18 - 19, 2024


Group Counseling Skills HYBRID

Online September 9 - 13, 2024

Live via teleconference September 19 - 20, 2024


Group Counseling Skills HYBRID

Online October 28 - November 1, 2024

Live via teleconference November 7 - 8, 2024


April 1 - 12, 2024

14-Hour Level I course offered online over two weeks


Training in pharmacology is a cornerstone of addiction counseling and a major part of what differentiates the professional field of addiction counseling from other mental health disciplines. This class, offered over two weeks, will provide a solid base of knowledge about the drugs of abuse including what happens in human physiology and behaviors.

Pharmacology I

Online July 22 - August 1, 2024

Pharmacology I

Online October 14 - 25, 2024

June 17 - July 5, 2024

21-hour Technician class offered online over 3 weeks

This training presents the history and theories of addiction, the competencies required of an addiction counselor and scope of practice, and the NIDA principles of effective treatment. There will be an exploration of current evidence-based practices, addiction counselor certification and licensure in Colorado and levels of care offered for addiction treatment as well as certification requirements and professional readiness for addiction counselors.


Principles of Addiction Treatment

Online August 12 - 30, 2024

Principles of Addiction Treatment

Online December 2 - 20, 2024

   April 15 - 26, 2024 

14 Hours of CAC Technician credit taught over two weeks

This Level II class will introduce the counselor to the concept of trauma-informed care, an approach that is being adopted more frequently within the human services fields based upon an increased awareness of the ways in which trauma impacts functioning.It will describe and define what trauma informed care is and ways in which a traditional treatment setting can be modified to increase the sense of safety experienced by consumers within this setting. Participants will learn how to incorporate trauma-informed practices into treatment with diverse populations, such as military veterans, women, people with co-occurring disorders and other groups. Although trauma treatment approaches will be considered this class will not teach how to do trauma-specific treatment.

Trauma Informed Care

Online July 8 - 19, 2024

Trauma Informed Care

Online October 7 - 18, 2024

April 8 - 19, 2024

14 Hours of CAC Specialist credit taught over two weeks

Treating diverse populations will provide an in depth overview of the diverse populations in the addiction treatment realm. Addiction counselors may work with individuals from the general public or they may specialize in specific populations, such as gender specific, persons involved in the criminal justice system, families, LGBTQIA, veterans and the opioid addiction epidemic. An understanding of race, ethnicity, and culture (including one’s own) is necessary to appreciate the diversity of human dynamics and to treat all clients effectively. The training will present definitions of microaggressions, systemic racial injustice, principles of social justice and multicultural and social justice counseling.

Treating Diverse Populations

Online October 28 - November 8, 2024