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HPC Dept Home > Community Counseling > Addictions Counseling

ADDICTIONS COUNSELING CURRICULUM

	The Community Counseling program received an international honor in 2006, receiving the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors Outstanding Program Award at the 2006 American Counseling Association Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

There are two options within addiction counseling (1) a full 60-hour masters program in community counseling with an emphasis in addition counseling or (2) the 12-hour graduate certificate program in addictions. The certificate program may be completed within or separate from the M.A. program.

OPTION 1: M.A. in Community Counseling with a concentration in Addictions Counseling

The Masters of Arts (M.A.) degree in Community Counseling offers an Addictions Counseling Concentration. The M.A. program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The M.A. degree consists of 60 semester hours (minimum). If a student chooses to write a thesis, 50 semester hours of approved coursework are required plus 4 thesis hours for a total of 54 hours. The goal of the Addictions Counseling Concentration is to prepare students to work as counselors in the addictions field. All applicants need to meet all current admission requirements of the department and the Graduate School.

Upon successful completion of the program, the individual can apply to become a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Carolina. Graduates of the program, who take four addictions courses plus a substance abuse counseling internship can apply under Criteria C of the NCSAPPB Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist Process; these applicants have a reduction in NCSAPPB requirements because the ASU Addictions Counseling Concentration has been pre-approved by the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board (NCSAPPB).

The Addictions Counseling Concentration requires the following courses be taken: The Addictive Process, Counseling the Addicted Person, Internship in Community Counseling. In addition, one of the following courses must be taken: Substance Abuse in Family Systems, Current Issues in Addictions, Helping the Troubled Employee, Al Greene Appalachian Addictions Institute (can be taken twice). The course “Substance Abuse in Family Systems” class can only be counted toward the certificate when taken as listed on the course schedule as “Addictions Counseling students only” (certificate and emphasis).

The internship is designed to be a full-time learning experience (600 clock hours) in an agency setting. Those students who are recovering from a personal addiction to alcohol or drugs are expected to have 12 months of continuous sobriety prior to registering for the Practicum and 15 months of continuous sobriety prior to registering for the Internship.

OPTION 2: Graduate Certificate Program in Addiction Counseling

Successful completion of the certificate program may benefit you because it demonstrates professional interest and training in the addictions field from a reputable program.

Applicants need to be aware, however, that the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board (NCSAPPB) licensure/certification process for addiction counselors in North Carolina is a separate process from this certificate program. If an applicant wants to be a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS) or Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) in North Carolina, the applicant would need to contact the board directly for information on this process (ncsappb.org).

Admission Requirements:

Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and complete the ASU Graduate School Application form. Certificate students who apply to transfer into the Community Counseling masters program need to meet all current admission requirements of the department and the Graduate School.

Sequence of Courses:

Students will receive a certificate that will require the completion of four courses. The following courses are required:

HPC 4570/5560	The Addictive Process
HPC 5570	Counseling the Addicted Person
HPC 6570	Al Greene Appalachian Addictions Institute

One of the following courses needs to be taken also:

HPC 5274	Substance Abuse in Family Systems
HPC 5710	Helping the Troubled Employee
HPC 6570	Al Greene Appalachian Addictions Institute (can be taken twice)
HPC 6770	Current Issues in Addictions

In their certificate courses, students must receive a grade of a B or better. No courses from other universities will be accepted as substitutes in order to maintain quality control of the material. If a student transfers into the masters’ degree program in community counseling from the certificate program, upon discretion of the faculty, the full 12 hours may be accepted toward their degree.

Addictions Certificate Advising Information

1. The student needs to submit an on-line graduate application to the Graduate School.
2. If already admitted to a HPC program, the student does not need to pay extra for the certificate application process or turn in transcripts.
3. A graduate student enrolled in the HPC Department does not need to complete the 13 page application of the Graduate School, but does need to complete the on-line Graduate School application of 9 pages for the certificate.  (If the student is doing two certifications, then two Graduate School on-line applications of 9 pages need to be done.)
4. The certificate does become noted on the transcript.
5. If one is in the certificate program and then applies and is admitted to the graduate program in Community Counseling, up to 12 hours can be counted toward their masters degree, but it will not reduce the number of required course hours from 60.
6. No individual studies will be done for any of the certificate classes listed.  The only exception is that if a student is in the Addictions Counseling Concentration of the Community Counseling Program and has the approval of the Addictions Counseling Coordinator, that student can take an independent study if the required courses have already been taken.
7. While current masters’ students can apply to the certificate program, there is no guarantee that they will be able to obtain all the classes required prior to their graduation date.  Those students can complete their certificate after they have graduated.
8. The "Substance Abuse in Family Systems" class can only be counted when taken as listed on the course schedule as "Addictions Counseling students only".
9. The Addictions Institute can be taken twice.
10. The student needs to submit a graduate certificate program of study (found under the Forms link on the Graduate School website).  The form must be signed by the student, the advisor and the department chairperson.  If the student has an advisor in the HPC department, that advisor will be the same advisor for the certificate program.
11. Once all certificate courses are completed, the student must submit the completion of the graduate certificate form.  This form must be signed by the student and the advisor. 
12. The Graduate School then sends an application to the student (mailed to the address indicated on the completion form) for the actual certificate.
13. Applicants need to be aware, however, that the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board (NCSAPPB) licensure/certification process for addiction counselors in North Carolina is a separate process from this certificate program.  If an applicant wants to be a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS) or Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) in North Carolina, the applicant would need to contact the board directly for information on this process (ncsappb.org).