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Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC)

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Overview

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

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

Requirements

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;
  • Be proficient in English, including the ability to speak, write, comprehend orally, and read at a minimum level necessary to perform as a CASAC;
  • Live or work in New York State at least 51 percent of the time during the application period;
  • Have two individuals complete an Evaluation of Competency and Ethical Conduct on your behalf. The Evaluation is based on the CASAC Canon of Ethical Principles
  • Document a minimum of 6,000 hours (approximately three years) of supervised, full-time equivalent work experience in an approved setting;
  • Document completion of education and training consisting of a minimum of 350 clock hours.
  • Successfully complete a criminal background check review; and
  • Pass the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, Inc. (IC&RC) examination for Alcohol and Drug Counselors (ADC).

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 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.

 

 

Application

The first step in the credentialing process is the submission of a CASAC application to the OASAS Credentialing Unit. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, are reviewed in the order they are received, and will remain active for five years from the date of postmark.

The OASAS Credentialing Unit will review your application to verify the eligibility requirements have been satisfied. The Credentialing Unit will issue a review summary based on the contents of your application. Any completed requirements will be noted, and any outstanding requirements will be noted as well. Use the review summary to help determine what else you need to submit for review. You can submit items at any time during the 5-year application period without additional fees. Please ensure that your full name and a phone number or e-mail address are present and legible on additional submissions, so it can be matched to your original application. You will be issued a new review summary with each submission.

When you are eligible to take the exam, you will be notified and given the registration information. When you are eligible to receive your CASAC-Trainee you will be notified.  If you are unable to complete all the requirements for a CASAC by the end of the five-year application period, your application (and CASAC-T if issued) will expire. You may submit a new application, with a new fee, but you will not be issued a second CASAC-T. 

OASAS is experiencing longer than usual delays in processing applications and mail. We appreciate your patience as we work diligently to review as quickly as possible.

Trainee Certification

Applicants may be considered for a CASAC Trainee certificate upon satisfying a minimum of:

350 clock hours 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 15 hours of addiction specific ethics for counselors.

 

You must submit an 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 may be issued. You cannot call yourself a CASAC-T or function at that level in an OASAS Certified or funded setting until you receive your certificate from OASAS. Your CASAC Trainee 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. The CASAC Trainee certificate is not renewable.

Work Experience Waiver

If you are pursuing an OASAS Credential and you were previously employed by an OASAS Certified or Funded program that has since closed and it may not be possible to obtain verification of work experience directly from the previous employer, please note the following. CASAC work experience is verified through a Part C - Work Experience Verification Record that includes your job title, dates of employment, total number of work experience hours, job responsibilities and Supervised Practical Training and is certified by your Qualified Health Professional (QHP) supervisor. As an alternative, OASAS will consider your work experience in the absence of sign-off by your QHP supervisor pursuant to a Waiver Request.

Waiver Requests must be submitted to the Chair of OASAS' Waiver Committee, accompanied by a Work Experience Verification Record that you have completed and must include some form of documentation which verifies your affiliation with the program (e.g., pay stub, appointment or separation letter, or other personnel records).

Questions regarding work experience should be directed to OASAS' Credentialing Unit at 1-800-482-9564 (Option #2). Questions regarding the waiver process should be emailed to [email protected].

Examination

Effective March 2023, Alcohol Drug Counselor (ADC) domains and examination will be updated.
 

The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) examination for Alcohol and Drug Counselors is a computer-based 150-question multiple-choice exam derived from the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) tasks identified in the IR&RC ADC Candidate Guide. The exam is offered on a weekly basis. Exam site locations are based on the eligible candidate's geographic location. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive a preliminary score at the testing site. Confirmed final results will be transmitted via U.S. mail approximately four weeks after your exam. You may not consider yourself credentialed until you have been issued a certificate. 

Applicants 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. Applicants 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 to [email protected]. The Exam form includes information on requesting a reasonable accommodation.
 

CASAC EXAM PERFORMANCE 

CASAC Exam Resources

IC&RC CASAC Exam Prep, Practice Exams, and Candidate Guides SAMHSA Counselor Competencies Training Catalog

Fee Schedule

All fees must be made in the form of a certified check, money order or a bank check from an OASAS funded and/or certified provider or an OASAS approved training provider. All fees are non-refundable and must be made payable to "NYS OASAS." Please note that personal checks are not accepted.

Initial Application Processing Fee:  $100

Computer Based Examination Fee: $245

Examination Retest Fee: $245

Failure to Update Contact Information Fee $25

Certificate Reprint Fee $10