CASAC Training Program

Credentialed Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC)

 

350 Hours of Education & Training 

Initial or Renewals

The Substance Abuse Counseling concentration at Care Republic Inc. provides specific training in the delivery of clinical services to clients and their significant others who seek treatment for chemical dependency. Through combining insights from various theoretical models with evidence-based practices, students will be prepared to work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient programs, community mental health centers, and rehabilitation programs. The concentration is intended to be completed in conjunction with the Masters in Psychology or Mental Health Counseling degrees. Upon completion of their courses, students will have satisfied the required 350-hour educational requirement by New York State. Students will be eligible to apply for a CASAC-T training permit from the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). The CASAC Trainee certificate serves as documentation that you are working toward becoming a CASAC. On behalf of OASAS, the Department will award a Certificate of Completion.

The CASAC is intended for individuals who provide alcoholism and substance abuse COUNSELING services in approved work settings.

You should consider pursuing the CASAC if your work experience includes the following tasks:

  • diagnostic assessment;
  • evaluation;
  • intervention;
  • referral; and
  • alcoholism and/or substance abuse counseling in both individual and group settings

In order to become a CASAC in New York State, you must:

Throughout the student’s enrollment at Care Republic, students interact with over 15 different instructors/advisors and are exposed to an array of classroom instructional methods including lectures, discussions, role-playing scenarios, case studies, and more.

Important Change in CASAC/CASAC-T Certification Requirements for New and Current Students

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS-OASAS) has changed the requirements for the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC/CASAC-T) certification as of September 1, 2013.   Care Republic is approved to offer the new CASAC 350-Hour Standardized Curriculum and the program has been re-designed so that the courses listed are the courses needed to complete the 350 hours.

If you were part of the program prior to the changes and still need to complete hours in a certain section, contact Professor Michael Williams, VP of Education, Training & Professional Development at Carerepublicinc@gmail.com or at 718-492-8437 to schedule an appointment to review your transcript, or for additional information. You can join us at our career seminar held frequently.

Click here for a complete list of upcoming courses scheduled.  Please note: not all courses are offered every semester.

Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) Requirements
To become a CASAC, you must:
– Be at least 18 years of age;
– Have earned at least a High School Diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED); and
– Reside or work in New York State at least 51 percent of the time to be issued a credential.

In addition, you must satisfy requirements in the following areas:

Upon completion of the 350-Hour program, students will be issued the OASAS CASAC 350-Hour Standardized Certificate of Completion. Students will be required to submit this document to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services’ (OASAS) Credentialing Unit when submitting your application for your credential. Please note that completion of the 350-hour program does not provide you with CASAC Trainee status. Students must complete and submit the OASAS Credentialing application and required fee ($100) to OASAS’ Credentialing Unit staff to achieve this status. Upon receipt of the application, a review will be conducted to determine eligibility for the CASAC Trainee and CASAC Examination.

For more information on the credentialing process and requirements, visit the OASAS webpage at: https://www.oasas.ny.gov/sqa/credentialing/index.cfm or contact the Credentialing Unit staff at 1.800.482.9564. Staff are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Care Republic’s Program Background
There is a continuing demand in the field of chemical dependency treatment for persons with dedication, compassion, understanding, empathy and patience to provide counseling and other services for individuals whose lives have been affected by alcoholism, substance abuse and related problems. In order to meet this ongoing demand, Care Republic offers courses of study which provide instruction in the competencies, professional activities and ethical principles of alcoholism and substance abuse counseling.

In this program, the student will be exposed to a variety of points of view. Faculty from varying clinical, administrative, academic disciplines and diversified backgrounds teach courses. This is important for the students because they receive well-rounded experiences, and contacts from our faculty in the classroom. You may choose to attend as many evenings or weekends as your time allows. Our schedule is designed to be flexible for the student who has other pressures or responsibilities, such as work, family, etc.

Recredentialling Requirements
Those students who are already CASAC’s and must renew their credential with NYS-OASAS must document 60 clock hours (40 hours must be related to addictions).  Renewal of your CASAC credential is done every three years. All courses listed may be used for recredentialling purposes. In addition, the course, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): A Training Program for All Health and Mental Health Professionals, is pending approval for 30 CE hours. Visit: www.carerepublic.com for further information and to register.

Social Work Continuing Education Credit
Care Republic’s Continuing Education & Professional Development Social Work programs CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0110 and a number of course offered in the CASAC program have been approved for Social Work CE credit. If a course is approved for Social Work CPE credit it will have an asterisk next to the title in the list of courses below. It will also be indicated in the course schedule. Click here for a list of all the courses currently scheduled that are approved for Social Work Continuing Education credit, including non-CASAC courses.

Courses Offered
The program consists of several courses that vary in length from 3-29 hours and together total 350 hours. The list of courses in the program can be found below.

Click here for a complete list of upcoming courses scheduled.
Click here for the courses currently offered at our sites

Please see specialized upcoming continuing education and specialized course listings  below.

There is no time limit to complete the program and you can take as many or as few courses as you would like to take each semester. The choice is yours! The program can usually be completed in 1-2 years. * Approved for NY State Social Work CE credit. Please click here for a listing of all the courses currently scheduled that are approved for Social Work Continuing Education credit, including non-CASAC courses.

Course Descriptions, Plan of Study, Schedules and Locations
Courses are offered at night, during the day and on Saturdays. The number of sessions each course meets varies from anywhere to 1 session to 10 sessions, as do the number of hours. Courses are offered throughout the year, including the summer.

Since there are no prerequisites for any of the courses, you may begin your studies at any time and take the courses in any sequence you wish, however, it is suggested that Overview of Chemical Dependency and its Treatment, should be taken first, if possible.

Course descriptions can be found by clicking on the schedule links in the preceding paragraph and then clicking on the course title.

Free Career Seminar 
Not sure if this career is right for you? Inquire about and attend our free career seminar. This career seminar is led by experienced professionals who will offer real advice about career and academic paths and talk about both the satisfactions and challenges of their own chosen careers. The seminar is one and a half hours long, given in the evening and are usually offered 2-3 times a year – every January, May and September. There is no charge for the seminar, which is held on our Brooklyn campus. Click here for a current schedule of classes and to register.

Admission
Candidates for the Center for Care Republic’s Education and Training program must complete an application for admission. Candidates need a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent to be considered for admission.

No application fee is required. For an application please click here or call the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Development at 718-492-8437.  The application is due at time of registration and need only be completed once.

Registration
Students should register for classes at least one week prior to the start of classes to insure enough time for you to get your confirmation and parking permit. However, you can register up until the day of class. Please note that some of our classes do close out and some of our classes do cancel, so register as soon as possible.

Online registration is available by clicking here.  Phone in registration is available by calling 718-492-8437 with your MasterCard or Visa. To register in person, by fax or mail, please follow the directions on our web page: carerepublic.org under Registration. Confirmation of your registration and classroom assignments will be mailed or emailed to you upon receipt of your registration.

Our Guarantee to You
If you take a course, attend each class and do not master the course work, we invite you to re-register for the same course, same level, free of charge. Your registration will be accepted on a space available basis within one year of the course end date. Re-registration in the course is required.

In addition, during the first hour of class the instructor will present an outline of the course, along with the course goals and objectives. If the student does not feel that this course will meet their expectations, then a full refund will be granted if the student presents their refund request on the first business day after the class has met for the first time.

Advisement
Academic advisement is always available from the Division of Continuing Education. Contact our office at 718-492-8437 to speak with an advisor or to schedule an appointment.

Tuition
Tuition varies for each course and the tuition rate can be found in the course listings in each section, in the course descriptions or in the schedule of classes. There are no course fees. Payment is due at time of registration; however, purchase orders will also be accepted if you register by mail or by fax.Some forms of financial assistance are available (see below). The tuition for our CPP, CPS and CASAC Training is $ 10 Dollars per hour.

Certificates
A certificate will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of each course and at the completion of the program. Course certificates are usually mailed out automatically 2-3 days after completion of the course. However, students should contact the Office of Continuing Education at 718-492-8437 or by e-mail at carerepublicinc@gmail.com at the completion of the program to have a program certificate issued.

A wealth of opportunities await you: may be awarded for CASAC coursework
Upon completion of 350 clock hours of Alcoholism & Chemical Dependency Counselor Education coursework, the student will be prepared to apply for their NYS OASAS CPP/CPS/CASAC exams.  Contact our VP of Education, Training & Professional Development to learn more.

Recredentialing Requirements
Those students who are already CASAC’s and must renew their credential with NYS-OASAS must document 40 clock hours of education and training related to alcoholism and substance abuse. Renewal of your CASAC credential is done every three years. All courses listed may be used for recredentialling purposes.

Accreditation
The program is approved by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Credentialling. For clarification of exam requirements, categorization of courses, recredentialling requirements, exam schedules and/or to request an application for the CASAC exam please contact the OASAS Credentialing Unit at 1.800.482.9564 or visit them on the web at: www.oasas.ny.gov.

Mailing List/Request a Catalog
The schedule of classes comes out in our catalog which is mailed  a year (January and July) to students who have made an inquiry or registered within the last 6 months. However, the most up-to-date scheduling information can be found on the program webpage. We will also email you monthly reminders of the upcoming schedule if you have provided us with an email address. Request a catalog. Join our mailing list. 

Course Hours Tuition
*Adolescent Treatment: From Intake to Discharge 13 $185
*Case Finding and Treatment Planning in Chemical Dependency Treatment 6 $95
*Case Management: Principles and Techniques for Substance Abuse Counselors 3 $50
*Client/Counselor Interaction 18 $260
*Community Education and Prevention 7 $110
*Competencies And Methods of Counseling 18 $260
*Counseling Special Populations and Cultural Competencies 24 $345
Drug Courts & the Mandated Client 6 $95
*Ethics And Confidentiality in Professional Practice (12 hours in-class, plus 2 hour Mandated Reporter Training Online) 14 $210
*Family Dynamics and Family Treatment in Chemical Dependency 29 $425
*From Street to Rehab: Assessment, Evaluation & Planning 15 $215
*Fundamentals of Group Counseling For Chemical Dependency Treatment 30 $425
*Health, Wellness and Communicable Diseases 16 $230
Integrating Spirituality Into Treatment 3 $50
*Introduction to Addictive Behaviors 18 $260
*Introduction to Diagnostic Criteria 19 $375
Overview of Chemical Dependency And Its Treatment 18 $260
Physiology, Pharmacology And Addiction 24 $345
Physiology, Pharmacology And Addiction Part II 19 $275
Relapse Prevention 9 $130
Self Help Groups 9 $130
*Strategies for Engaging the Difficult Client 17 $240
*Tobacco 6 $95
*Vocational Rehabilitation in Substance Abuse Treatment 9 $130
Total 350 $5,095



Questions? 
For questions regarding the program, course schedules and/or registration,  call 718-301-3219 or e-mail carerepublic.org.