Addictions Counseling
- AS - Transfer Program
- Department of Education and Human Services
Lay the foundation for a bachelor’s degree—and a career as a drug and alcohol counselor
With an addictions counseling associate degree from Monroe Community College, you can fulfill state requirements for a Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) license. One of the few New York community colleges to offer a degree in addiction counseling, MCC offers specialized training for this challenging field—including an internship that provides you with 300 hours of practical, supervised field experience.
Designed for students who seek to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program in social work or another relevant field, MCC’s addictions counseling degree program emphasizes practical skills such as:
- Intake screening
- Treatment planning
- Crisis intervention
- Case management
- Referral and consultation with health professionals
- Legal aspects of addiction counseling
MCC’s Addictions Counseling Degree Helps You Qualify for a CASAC License
MCC’s addictions counseling program is led by expert faculty who’ve spent years as practicing drug and alcohol counselors. You’ll take seven specialized courses in alcohol and chemical dependency counseling, plus additional classes in psychology, sociology, communication, statistics, and health.
You can transfer your MCC credits to four-year schools across the country, including all SUNY campuses. New York has a shortage of well-trained addiction counselors, so you’ll enjoy many career opportunities by qualifying for a CASAC license. Graduates of our addictions counseling associate degree program have a strong record of continued education and career success.
To find out more about the addictions counseling associate degree from Monroe Community College and all our human services programs, contact the admissions office at admissions@annccb.com or (585) 292-2200.
ADDICTIONS COUNSELING
A.S. Degree - Transfer Program
Department:Education and Human Services
School(s): Community Engagement & Development
MCC Program Code: AS01
Description
This program is designed to prepare students for a future in addictions counseling after completing the baccalaureate in Social Work or another relevant field.
Addictions counseling is a challenging and rewarding field for which entry-level employees are often not well prepared. In New York State, oversight of treatment for substance use disorder is by the New York Office of Alcohol & Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). The credential for drug and alcohol counselors is the Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselor, commonly known as the CASAC. Completion of the full CASAC involves three components: education, an exam, and experience working in the field. This program when successfully completed provides the education component, following which the student is eligible to apply for the designation of Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselor-in-Training (CASAC-T). The program is designed around the 12 Core Functions designated as essential by the New York State Office of Alcohol & Substance Abuse Services. These core functions are addressed in seven substance abuse treatment (ACD) counseling classes. Six of these are 3-credit courses; the seventh is a 6-credit course that includes a 300 hour internship.
(Housed in the Human Services Department)
Program Learning Outcomes
1. Initial screening of potential clients as to their need for further evaluation and diagnosis.
2. Intake: collecting of necessary personal information, explanation of confidentiality laws, obtaining of appropriate release of information signatures.
3. Orientation: clarify rights and responsibilities of both client and treatment facility, facility rules, tour appropriate areas, explain treatment process, help client to understand what is expected, and what s/he may expect.
4. Assessment, Evaluation and Intervention: Take an appropriate psychosocial history; develop a diagnosis based on current DSM criteria, help client to understand the damage that addiction may be doing to physical, family and career life.
5. Referral: Be able to appropriately match client diagnosis and symptoms to treatment facility and program level. Be familiar with other area programs and facilities that client may need beyond substance abuse treatment and be able to make appropriate referrals.
6. Treatment Planning: Be able to: develop client treatment plans, including long-term and short-term goals and the areas of life specified by OASAS; involve client in the development of the treatment plan; keep treatment plans updated.
7. Counseling: Be able to: select the appropriate counseling model(s) for a situation; use one-on-one and group counseling skills, including empowering clients, focusing on strengths, and keeping the focus on the client's agenda, not the counselor's.
8. Crisis Intervention: recognize and appropriately respond to signs of relapse, suicidality, depression. Be able to appropriately call on others for assistance when the situation is beyond his/her abilities to handle
9. Patient Education: Counselor will be able to: help client to understand the processes of addiction, withdrawal, relapse, and recovery; be able to convey this information in terms understood by clients and in one-on-one, in group or in front-of-the room environments.
10. Case Management: Be able to understand, and where appropriate assist client with, processes in which the client may be involved in the areas of social services, legal, health care, and mental health care.
11. Reporting and Record Keeping: Be able to keep succinct but complete and coherent records regarding all client interactions for the well-being of both client and agency. Be capable of objective reporting and of knowing what should be included.
12. Consultation with Other Professionals: Be able to work in the substance abuse field as a team member. Discern when to call on supervisor or other experienced staff for assistance. Develop a file of others who can be called on as needed, within appropriate confidentiality procedures.
Employment Potential
For related jobs: Career Coach
Occupational Resource: http://www.onetonline.org
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Distribution Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Addictions Counseling, A.S. Degree, Experiential Track |  |
| FIRST SEMESTER: | |
| ENG 101 College Composition (grade of C or higher required) OR ENG 200 Advanced Composition (grade of C or higher required) | 3 |
| ACD 140 Alcohol/Chemical Dependency and the Human Service Worker (grade of C or higher required) | 3 |
| HUM 101 Introduction to Human Services (grade of C or higher required) | 4 |
| HUM 111 Field Work in Human Services I (grade of C or higher required) | 2 |
| SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
First Semester Total: | 15 |
| SECOND SEMESTER: | |
| ACD 142 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency and the Family System | 3 |
| ACD 143 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency Counseling Skills (grade of C or higher required) | 3 |
| ACD 144 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency/Substance Abuse Group Counseling Skills (grade of C or higher required) | 3 |
| BIO 133 Human Biology AND BIO 132 Laboratory to Accompany Human Biology | 4 |
| SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - HUMANITIES (SUNY-HUMN) ELECTIVE | 3 |
Second Semester Total: | 16 |
| THIRD SEMESTER: | |
| MTH 160 Statistics I | 3 |
| ACD 241 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency - Treatment Modalities | 3 |
| PSY 101 Introduction to Psychological Studies | 3 |
| SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - WORLD LANGUAGES (SUNY-WLNG) ELECTIVE | 3 |
| PHL 250 - Professional Ethics OR SPC 141 - Interpersonal Speech Communication OR SPC 142 - Public Speaking OR SPC 144 - Communication and Crisis | 3 |
| ANY HED COURSE OR PEC 253 (except HED 209) | 2 |
Third Semester Total: | 17 |
| FOURTH SEMESTER: | |
| ACD 245 Special Issues in the Field of Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency/Substance Abuse | 3 |
| ACD 246 Alcohol/Chemical Dependency - Internship Seminar | 6 |
| HUM 218 Working with Trauma Informed Care Skills | 3 |
| SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUNY-SOCS) ELECTIVE | 3 |
Fourth Semester Total: | 15 |
TOTAL CREDITS: | 63 |
| |
| Addictions Counseling, A.S. Degree, Reentry from Incarceration Track | |
| FIRST SEMESTER: | |
| ENG 101 College Composition OR ENG 200 Advanced Composition | 3 |
| ACD 140 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency and the Human Service Worker (grade of C or higher required) | 3 |
| HUM 101 Introduction to Human Services | 4 |
| HUM 111 Field Work in Human Services I | 2 |
| SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
First Semester Total: | 15 |
| SECOND SEMESTER: | |
| ACD 142 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency and the Family System | 3 |
| ACD 143 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency - Counseling Skills | 3 |
| BIO 133 Human Biology | 3 |
| BIO 132 Laboratory to Accompany Human Biology | 1 |
| PHL 250 - Professional Ethics OR SPC 141 - Interpersonal Speech Communication OR SPC 142 - Public Speaking OR SPC 144 - Communication and Crisis | 3 |
| SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - HUMANITIES (SUNY-HUMN) ELECTIVE | 3 |
Second Semester Total: | 16 |
| THIRD SEMESTER: | |
| ACD 144 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency/Substance Abuse Group Counseling Skills | 3 |
| ACD 241 Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency Treatment Modalities | 3 |
| HUM 220 Working with Clients Post-Incarceration | 3 |
| MTH 160 Statistics I | 3 |
| SOC 203 Criminology | 3 |
| ANY HED COURSE OR PEC 253 (except HED 209) | 2 |
Third Semester Total: | 17 |
| FOURTH SEMESTER: | |
| ACD 245 Special Issues in the Field of Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency/Substance Abuse | 3 |
| CRJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice OR CRJ 170 Introduction to Corrections OR CRJ 172 Institutional Procedures and Treatment of Inmates* | 3 |
| PSY 101 Introduction to Psychological Studies | 3 |
| SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - WORLD LANGUAGES (SUNY-WLNG) ELECTIVE | 3 |
| HUM 218 Working with Trauma Informed Care Skills | 3 |
Fourth Semester Total: | 15 |
TOTAL CREDITS: | 63 |
Revised 06/07/2023