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Addictions Counseling

We welcome applications on a rolling basis. The next priority application deadline is December 15, 2024.

Pathway to CASAC Credential

Online Options

Supervised Internship

Program Overview

The Addictions Counseling Advanced Certificate program offers healthcare and mental health professionals and students additional substance use disorders and addictions treatment training to help with obtaining CASAC, or Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor, recognition. This certificate is the first step toward earning CASAC in New York, with varying options for reciprocity between states. The 10-credit hour Advanced Certificate and CASAC bridge program is available to students and working professionals interested in gaining an integrated healthcare understanding of addictions and holistic recovery processes. Coursework for the Advanced Certificate in Addictions Counseling

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2021, and research shows that deaths have risen fivefold over the past two decades. With substance-related addiction on the rise, highly trained counselors are in high demand. 

The four-course program is designed for master’s-level healthcare professionals, including counselors, social workers, nurses, rehabilitation counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists, who are seeking the CASAC credential and looking to enhance and grow their career options.

Program goals include:

  • Gaining awareness of contemporary trends in substance use and addictions and holistic recovery processes.
  • Developing skills foundational to the counseling specialty area of addiction counseling.
  • Offering professional training and an ethical knowledge base to provide alcoholism and substance use counseling.
  • Providing an expedited path to attain the CASAC credential—the most sought-after addictions counseling credential in New York State. 

This advanced certificate program does not lead to professional licensure. It allows students to meet the educational and training requirements of OASAS, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, to become a credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor. Those who earn the advanced certificate are eligible to register for CASAC-T, the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor-Trainee credential. Once a counselor has a CASAC-T credential, they are qualified to move on to the substance use-specific counseling experience component (2,000 hours), qualifying the individual for exam eligibility and then to eventually obtain full CASAC certification.

Key Program Features

  • Flexible: This may be taken as a stand-alone program, expanding your area of expertise and making you more marketable in the area of substance use and addiction.
  • Online option: If desired, courses can be taken online or in person, depending on your need and interest.
  • Supervised clinical internship: One track provides a seamless transition to the necessary supervised clinical internship experience to qualify for the CASAC credential. An alternative track is offered for individuals who are interested in learning more about clinical supervision and have already fulfilled the required supervised internship hours.
  • Collaborative: Program offered in partnership with faculty from the Strong Recovery clinical program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. 

Prerequisite

  • A master’s degree in counseling, health professions or a related field.

Scholarships, Tuition, & Financial Aid

Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a New York State credential that requires the specialized addiction training needed to fully understand and treat the complexities of addiction. 

This advanced certificate program does not lead to a CASAC. It allows students to complete the OASAS educational requirements for the CASAC designation.

The exam can be administered to an applicant who has completed the required minimum 350 hours of education. To earn the full CASAC certification, you must pass the Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam, offered by the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium, and eventually accrue 2,000 hours of substance use-specific counseling experience from an OASAS-approved facility. Some of the clinical training hours from the internship component of the advanced certificate program could be applied to the 2,000 hours required by OASAS. View the detailed post-graduation instructions for the CASAC application

Yes, if you have already completed the necessary hours to qualify for the CASAC credential, you will be given clinical supervision training through the Counselor Supervision (EDU 553) course instead of the internship experience. 

The certificate program prepares individuals to work in an area related to alcohol and substance use treatment. With the CASAC credential, professionals can work in the following levels of care but are not limited to: an inpatient rehabilitation center, a halfway house, an outpatient addiction program, an assessment and referral program, or in adolescent treatment. 

We welcome applications on a rolling basis. The next priority application deadline is December 15, 2024.

Co-Directors

Doug Guiffrida

Professor, Director of the Counseling Program and Director of the Advanced Certificate Program in Mind/Body Healing and Wellness

Julie Achtyl

Co-Director of Operations - Director of Adult and AYA Chemical Dependence Outpatient Services, Director of Counselor Education, Discipline Chief of CASAC's

Julie_Achtyl@urmc.rochester.edu

Julie Achtyl Headshot

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Related Certificates and Degrees

Related Advanced Certificates

Opportunities for additional specializations with minimum additional credits required.

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