Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Studies Bulletin 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Studies Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Addiction and Substance Abuse, Adv. Cert.


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Professor Sciarra, Graduate Program Director, 516-463-7451

The Addiction and Substance Abuse Advanced Certificate allows students to complete the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services’ (OASAS) educational requirements for the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) designation. This program prepares students to work with individuals, families, and groups in myriad settings focusing on substance abuse, and alcohol and drug counseling. Graduates are eligible to register for the CASAC designation and thus qualify to move on to the clinical experience component of the full certification. This advanced certificate alone does not lead to professional licensure.

Admission Requirements


Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admissions Office where directions are given for securing transcripts of previous schooling and other necessary information. The review of the application and the admission decision is made by program faculty and is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria including the following:

  1. Bachelors degree from an accredited institution, preferably with a major concentration in psychology, the behavior sciences and/or human services.
  2. Minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
  3. Writing sample (to be completed at time of personal interview).
  4. Three (3) letters of recommendation for academic and character references.
  5. Personal essay describing professional intent and pertinent background.
  6. Admission interview with the program director and/or faculty representative.
  7. Personal experience in counseling or growth-oriented processes are highly desirable.

The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate’s potential for success in a graduate program. Consequently, candidates are welcome to apply if they do not meet one of the criteria but feel that other aspects of their experience may compensate.

Prerequisite Requirements - Semester Hours: 18


Note: Students must complete all prerequisite course work listed below prior to beginning the first sequence course in the counseling curriculum (COUN 223, Theories and Principles of Counseling).  The courses may be satisfied at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and online courses are accepted as long as they are from nationally accredited institutions and documented on transcripts.

  • child psychology - 3 semester hours
  • adolescent psychology - 3 semester hours
  • personality theory or abnormal psychology - 3 semester hours
  • psychology and behavioral sciences  (three other courses from areas such as social psychology, learning theory, behavioral science research methods, statistics for the social sciences, psychology of exceptionalities, family development theory, socio-cultural foundations, etc.) - 9 semester hours

Graduation Requirements


  1. Completion of all program requirements.
  2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work.



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