The Department of Counselor Education has been registered by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to train students as Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainees (CASAC Application).
This credential allows students from The Department of Counselor Education’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling, College Counseling, and School Counseling emphases to seek positions as chemical dependency counselors in a range of clinical settings and/or to add chemical dependency treatment as an area of specialization in mental health, community, school, and college settings.
Eligibility
To be eligible to earn the CASAC-T credential through the Department of Counselor Education a student must be matriculating in SUNY Brockport’s Department of Counselor Education toward the MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or MSEd in College Counseling or School Counseling. Students who are taking courses in one of the Department of Counselor Education’s Bridge Programs or Certificate of Advanced Studies Programs are also eligible to pursue the CASAC-T credential; these students are responsible for completing the CACREP core course work and additional Education and Training hours described below.
Education and Training Hours
To become qualified to sit for the CASAC-T exam the student must earn 350 Education and Training hours by completing CACREP core course work and HLS 509 (Introduction to Alcohol and Drugs) and HLS 545 (Psychopharmacology) as shown in the CASAC-T Checklist.
Work Experience Hours
In addition, candidates must earn 6,000 work experience hours, 4,000 of which are credited by completing the MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or the MSEd in College Counseling or School Counseling. A total of 100% of practicum (100) and internship (600) hours completed in a program licensed by New York State OASAS, New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), or other state “O-licensed” program can be applied to the remaining 2,000 work experience hours. Fifty percent (50%) of practicum (50) hours and internship (300) hours completed in a program that is not state-licensed, but that includes practice of ONE or more of the core (counselor) functions outlined in the CASAC Application (p. 33) can be applied to the work experience hours.
CASAC Application Process
As Counselor Education students at SUNY Brockport complete their Master’s degree and their 350 training hours that include completion of HLS 509: Introduction to Alcohol and Drugs and HLS 545: Psychopharmacology, there are additional steps that need to be taken to complete their CASAC-T and CASAC application. Applicants should go to the following OASAS website, https://oasas.ny.gov/credentialing/alcoholism-and-substance-abuse-counselor-casac, that provides a CASAC Overview, CASAC Application start-up, CASAC Trainee Certification, and CASAC Examination as follows.
Overview
In order to become a CASAC in New York State, you must: (1) meet specific competency and ethical conduct requirements; (2) meet specific work experience requirements (2,000 hours with Master’s degree; (3) meet minimum education and training requirements (350 hours); and (4) pass the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) examination for Alcohol and Drug Counselors. All the stated requirements are overseen and/or coordinated by the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).
Application
The first step in the credentialing process is the submission of a CASAC Application to the OASAS Credentialing Unit. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and will remain active for five years from the date of postmark.
Upon receipt by the OASAS Credentialing Unit, your application will be reviewed to determine eligibility for a CASAC Trainee and CASAC examination. Based on the findings of the review, your application will be determined to be either approved or incomplete.
CASAC Trainee Certification
Applicants may be considered for a CASAC Trainee certificate upon satisfying a minimum of 350 clock hours of the required education and training.
Your CASAC Trainee certificate will be effective from the date that any of the above eligibility requirements are approved until the end of the five-year period that your application is active. The CASAC Trainee certificate is not renewable. However, if you are an examination candidate when your CASAC Trainee certificate expires, a three year extension may be requested for an additional fee. If you do not complete the credentialing process by the expiration date of your CASAC Trainee certification extension, in order to be considered to become a CASAC in the future, you will be required to submit a new application, associated documentation and an additional application processing fee. You will not be considered for CASAC Trainee certification a second time.
Examination
The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) examination for Alcohol and Drug Counselors is comprised of 150 multiple-choice questions derived from the counselor tasks identified in the 2008 IC&RC Job Task Analysis.
The examination is administered at least one time per year in New York State. Based on the geographic locations of eligible candidates, examination locations may vary. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive a preliminary score. If you pass the examination, you may not consider yourself a credentialed counselor until you have received the official results of your examination and are issued a certificate.
Applicants who do not pass the examination will remain eligible to retest once every 60 days during the active period of their application.
Applicants are eligible to take the CASAC exam once the 350 training hours are completed.
Work Experience Hours
Applicants are required to complete 2,000 work experience hours to earn the CASAC credential. Fifty percent of the 100 practicum hours (50 hours) can be counted toward the 2,000 hours. Students completing their internship in a program certified by OASAS, OMH, another New York State “O-agency,” or certain New York State Department of Corrections (DOC) programs can use all of their internship hours, e.g., 600 hours for their work experience. Students who complete their internship hours in another setting can count 50% of their 600 hours (300 hours) if at their site they have performed at least one of the ten OASAS designated clinical functions, e.g. assessment, treatment planning, referral (see p. 33 of the CASAC Application for more detail).
For additional information on earning the CASAC go to: https://oasas.ny.gov/credentialing/alcoholism-and-substance-abuse-counselor-casac
The OASAS Credentialing Unit can be contacted as follows:
Web: https://oasas.ny.gov/credentialing/alcoholism-and-substance-abuse-counselor-casac
Email: Credentialing@oasas.ny.gov
Phone: (800) 482-9564
Counselor Education Certificate
Upon graduation from the Counselor Education Program graduates who have completed the required 350 hours of training (Master’s degree with having taken HLS 509 and HLS 545) will receive a certificate from the Department of Counselor Education indicating that they are eligible to apply to OASAS for the CASAC-T.