NCCAP ADC case studies
NCCAP ADC · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NCCAP Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) credential is a professional certification for counselors who provide direct services to people with substance use disorders. Candidates typically come from clinical, residential, outpatient, and community-based settings and hold a combination of education, supervised field experience, and documented training hours. The NCCAP ADC case studies are 5 cases and about 3,567 words.
1The 3 a.m. Intake Who Cannot Wait for the Full Assessment
A 41-year-old man walks into a detoxification unit at 3:10 a.m., unaccompanied, smelling of alcohol, with a fresh laceration over his left eyebrow. He reports drinking a fifth of vodka daily for the past three weeks after losing his job; his last drink was roughly four hours ago.
751 words, about 4 min2The Collateral That Contradicts the Client
A 29-year-old woman is referred by her employer's EAP after two written warnings for arriving impaired. In her assessment she reports drinking "maybe two glasses of wine on weekends" and denies any consequences.
734 words, about 4 min3Treatment Plan for a Client Who Wants Only Detox
A 54-year-old man with a 20-year history of opioid use (currently non-prescribed fentanyl, snorted) is admitted for a 5-day medically supervised withdrawal. He has overdosed twice in the past year and was revived with naloxone both times; the most recent was six weeks ago.
692 words, about 3 min4The Client Who Wants His Records Sent to His Employer
A 38-year-old client in outpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder tells his counselor he wants a copy of his "whole file" sent to his employer's HR department to prove he is "taking this seriously" and to protect his job. His employer referred him after a workplace incident, and his continued employment is conditioned on "satisfactory participation." The file contains his ASI, a positive urine screen from week two, progress notes describing a relapse, and a note from a prior counselor speculating about a possible personality disorder.
680 words, about 3 min5The Discharge That Has Nowhere to Go
A 47-year-old woman completes 21 days of residential treatment for methamphetamine use. She has no income, no car, and no phone of her own.
710 words, about 4 min