June 12, 2024 – Kingston, NY – SUNY Ulster’s Department of Continuing and Professional Education is offering Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor training beginning this July with Section IV: Professional Ethical Responsibilities Abuse. This section begins Monday, July 15 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and runs through Wednesday, August 21. All CASAC courses are remote and can be attended via Zoom. In addition, there will be 4 hours of asynchronous learning assigned per week.
Section IV: Professional Ethical Responsibilities Abuse addresses Ethical Responsibilities for counseling professionals by presenting an overview of ethical thought, principles, and decision making. The class also addresses confidentiality, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the OASAS requirement of two hours of Mandated Reporter training, and Counselor Wellness. This section fulfills 45 hours. All those wanting to become a certified CASAC counselor must also take Sections I, II, and III.
Section I: Knowledge of Substance Use Disorders will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning Monday, September 4 through Wednesday, November 20. Section II: Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counseling will begin Monday, December 2, 2024 and run through Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Both sections will be 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., remote, and in addition, there will be 4 hours of asynchronous learning assigned per week.
Section III: Assessment; Clinical Evaluation; Treatment Planning; Case Management; Patient, Family & Community Education and Section IV: Professional Ethical Responsibilities will be held in the spring and summer of 2025.
The CASAC Program curriculum is approved by New York State’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Upon completion, students are issued the OASAS 350 Hour Certificate of Completion, providing all the coursework necessary to apply for the CASAC Trainee status. In addition to providing the entire 350-hour training, SUNY Ulster’s program can be individualized for students who already possess approved hours through previous academic study. A payment plan is available for students who wish to pay monthly.
With a projected 22 percent employment growth rate by 2031 in New York State, CASAC counselors will be entering a growing field where their services will be in demand. As specialized clinicians, CASAC counselors are on the front lines helping in the recovery of those suffering with substance use disorders. CASACs fill a need in a wide variety of clinical settings and the relevance of their training extends to professionals working in schools, hospitals, human service advocacy agencies, and beyond. SUNY Ulster has trained hundreds of CASAC counselors through a curriculum that addresses diagnostic assessment, evaluation, intervention, referral, alcoholism, and substance abuse counseling in both individual and group settings.
To register for CASAC please visit https://www.sunyulster.edu/continuing_education/health/casac.php or you can call 845-339-2025. For more information, please contact Barbara Reer at reerb@sunyulster.edu or 845-802-7171.
