Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC)

The CASAC is intended for individuals who provide direct clinical care services and substance use disorder counseling, including:

• SUD Assessment;
• Intervention;
• Referral; and
• Substance Use Disorder counseling in both individual and group settings.

To become a CASAC, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Have earned at least a High School Diploma or High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma;
• Live or work in New York State at least 51 percent of the time during the active application period;
• Have two individuals complete an Evaluation of Competency and Ethical Conduct based on CASAC Canon of Ethical Principles;
• Document a minimum of 6,000 hours (approximately three years) of supervised work experience in an approved setting
• Work experience must include a minimum of 300 hours of supervised practical training in the core competencies;
• Document completion of education and training consisting of a minimum of 350 clock hours and mandatory one-time requirements
• Successfully complete a criminal background check review; and
• Pass an examination approved by OASAS.

All stated requirements are verified in the application process. The complete list of the CASAC qualifications and requirements, as well as the full course curriculum, can be found in the CASAC application.

Human Services Degrees

If you are a CASAC applicant who holds an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree in an approved Human Services fields, or are a student pursuing any of these degrees, some of the course work associated with your degree may be claimed toward satisfying some or all of the CASAC education and training requirements. In order to determine what coursework may be applicable, your college transcript(s) should be submitted with your application.

The CASAC-Trainee and CASAC-Provisional certificate is issued to notify an employer that a CASAC applicant has completed a specified level of education and training towards the CASAC but whose scope of practice is limited by standards established by the Office. Please see the Scope of Practice for further information. The requirements for each certificate are as follows:

CASAC-Trainee Certification

350 clock hours and mandatory one-time requirements of the required education and training

- OR -

4,000 hours of appropriate work experience and the 85 clock hours in Section 1 of the education and training related to knowledge of substance use disorders and all mandatory one-time education requirements.

CASAC-Provisional Certification

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in an approved Human Services Field
• Verification of Employment or Intent to Hire form
• Education one-time requirement

To obtain the CASAC-Trainee or CASAC-Provisional certification, you must submit a CASAC application with the above-required documentation and on review and approval by OASAS you will be given information on scheduling fingerprinting for a background check, after which your CASAC-T or CASAC-P may be issued. You cannot identify yourself as a CASAC-T or CASAC-P or function at that level in an OASAS Certified or funded setting until you receive your certificate from OASAS. Your CASAC Trainee/Provisional certificate will be effective from the date it is issued by OASAS until the end of the five-year period that your application is active.  If you are exam eligible prior to your expiration date you will be eligible for a one-time, three-year extension.

We are excited to announce that the Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC) Examination is now available in both English and Spanish for our candidates. Test takers will be able toswitch between English and Spanish during the examination. Additionally, special accommodations can be made for any other language upon request.

The IC&RC computer-based exam for Alcohol and Drug Counselors consists of 150 multiple-choice questions derived from the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) tasks identified in the IR&RC ADC Candidate Guide. This exam is offered weekly at secure locations worldwide with monitoring proctors.

Effective March 2023, Alcohol Drug Counselor (ADC) domains and examinations were updated as follows:

1. Scientific Principles of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders
2. Evidence-Based Screening and Assessment
3. Evidence-Based Treatment, Counseling and Referral
4. Professional, Ethical and Legal Responsibilities

EXAMINATION STEPS

After approval of the candidate's application and pre-registration for the exam, ISO Quality Testing will send the candidate an email with further instructions to complete the registration process. Candidates will be able to choose their preferred location, date, and time for taking the test. Once candidates complete the exam, they will receive a tentative score at the testing center. The official results will be sent via email in approximately four weeks. Candidates must wait for their certificate to be issued before they can consider themselves officially credentialed after passing the examination.

Candidates who do not pass the examination will remain eligible to retest once every 90 days during the active period of their application. There is a non-refundable exam fee of $245 each time the examination is taken. Candidates who fail the exam three times must take an OASAS approved CASAC Foundations or Ready to Test course before they will be eligible to register for the exam again. Eligible examination candidates may request an Examination Registration Form by contacting the Credentialing Unit by emailing [email protected]. The exam form includes information on requesting a reasonable accommodation.

CASAC EXAM PERFORMANCE 

All fees must be made in the form of a check or money order and made payable to “NYS OASAS”. All fees are non-refundable.  

Initial Application Processing Fee:  $100

Computer Based Examination Fee: $245

Examination Retest Fee: $245

CASAC-Trainee and CASAC-Provisional Extension Fee: $100

Failure to Update Contact Information Fee: $25

Certificate Reprint Fee: $10