The Kansas Association of Addiction Professionals (KAAP) in its structural composition mirrors this expansion. This evolution began in the early 1970s with the organization of alcoholism treatment counselors in Kansas .

Simultaneously, was the development of counselors working with drug addicts. In Kansas , the two elements came together in the early 1980s with the merger of the Kansas Alcoholism Counselors Association (KACA) with the Kansas Association of Drug Abuse Counselors (KADAC) to form Kansas Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Counselors Association (KADACA). With the establishment of the credentialing process, professional ethics and standards and through association leadership, the counseling profession became one of international recognition and respect.   More detail...