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SUNY/Niagara’s Chemical Dependency Counseling CertificateÌý36-credit program prepares students to sit for the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counseling Trainee ( CASAC-T exam).ÌýAs such it is certified by OASAS to offer the full 350 contact hours of instruction necessary to sit for the New York State exam.Ìý Students should know that achieving the SUNY/Niagara Certificate and passing the CASAC-T exam will confer “trainee” status.ÌýThere are work-hour requirements to move to full-fledged CASAC status – ranging from one-half year if the student holds a master’s Degree to two years if the student holds an associate’s Degree and two and one-half years if the student holds a certificate.

Though passing the State exam will confer CASAC-T status to the student, which will enable them to begin work in an OASAS-approved agency, there is no State to State reciprocity in the field of substance abuse counseling credentialing so students should check the guidelines of the State in which they plan to practice to ensure that SUNY/Niagara credits will be in some way applicable to their guidelines and requirements.