08/05/2026
🙏🏾 THANK YOU, GOD! 🙏🏾
Today, I am incredibly grateful, humbled, and PROUD OF MYSELF.
After years of education, supervised clinical experience, professional training, and working directly in the field of addiction treatment, I have earned my MASTER ADDICTION COUNSELOR (MAC) national credential through NAADAC. 🎓
And for me, this accomplishment represents MUCH MORE than simply adding another credential behind my name.
🧠 WHAT MAKES THIS EXAMINATION SO SPECIAL?
This was not the kind of examination I could simply study for by reading a book, memorizing information, and walking into a testing center hoping to pass.
At this level, YOU EITHER KNOW THE WORK OR YOU DON'T.
The knowledge being tested comes from YEARS of education, supervised clinical experience, training, professional development, and actually working with people struggling with substance use disorders and addiction.
The MAC examination measures competency across some of the most critical areas of addiction treatment:
🔹 Clinical assessment
🔹 Treatment planning and implementation
🔹 Addiction counseling practices and skills
🔹 Understanding the treatment and recovery process
🔹 Professional and ethical practice
Passing this national examination represents a benchmark of the knowledge and professional competency I have spent years developing.
You cannot manufacture experience.
You cannot memorize years of clinical judgment.
You have to KNOW THE WORK.
More importantly, this credential represents my continuing commitment to GROWING—growing in my understanding of substance use disorders, addiction treatment, human behavior, human development, recovery, and the science and practice of helping people change their lives.
🚨 BUT THERE IS AN EVEN BIGGER PURPOSE.
This accomplishment helps position me—and ultimately Dedicato Treatment Center—for our next area of professional growth: completing the additional federal training and examination requirements necessary for me to become qualified as a U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONAL (SAP).
And when you understand who a DOT-qualified SAP can be responsible for evaluating, you understand the magnitude of that responsibility.
We are talking about safety-sensitive professionals such as:
✈️ Aviation personnel working in and around the cockpit
🚛 Commercial truck drivers
🚌 Commercial and school bus drivers
🚆 Locomotive engineers and other railroad personnel
🚇 Subway and public-transit operators
🚢 Maritime personnel operating vessels
🛢️ Safety-sensitive pipeline workers
These are men and women whose ability to perform their jobs safely can directly affect the lives of hundreds—and sometimes thousands—of people.
The U.S. Department of Transportation describes the SAP's responsibility to the public as ENORMOUS.
That means this journey is not simply about another credential.
🏢 It positions Dedicato Treatment Center to develop an additional professional service and revenue stream.
🤝 It gives us another opportunity to help men and women struggling with substance-related issues get appropriate evaluation, education, treatment, and support.
🛡️ And ultimately, it gives me another opportunity to contribute to something even greater—PROTECTING PUBLIC SAFETY.
When I stop and think about my life, this moment means even more.
There was a time when I was the man struggling with addiction.
There was a time when I was homeless.
There was a time when the future I am living today would have seemed impossible.
And yet, by the grace of God, I went back to school, continued my education, earned my doctorate, built Dedicato Treatment Center, became a CEO and clinical leader, and continued challenging myself to reach another level professionally.
Today, at 63 years old:
📚 I'M STILL LEARNING.
🌱 I'M STILL GROWING.
🏗️ I'M STILL BUILDING.
🙏🏾 I'M STILL BECOMING.
And I am nowhere near finished.
This isn't just about letters behind my name.
It's about what those letters represent—the WORK, the KNOWLEDGE, the SACRIFICE, the EXPERIENCE, the RESPONSIBILITY, and ultimately, the opportunity to use everything God has allowed me to learn to HELP OTHER PEOPLE.
🙏🏾 THANK YOU, GOD, for continuing to give me the strength, encouragement, discipline, wisdom, and inspiration to keep moving forward.
The journey continues.
Dr. Keith L. Marshall, Psy.D., M.H.D., MAC
Founder & CEO
Dedicato Treatment Center, Inc.
