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Graduate Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Counseling

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About this Program

A Graduate Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Counseling is a 15-credit hour certificate that will train individuals interested in becoming alcohol and drug abuse counselors. This program was designed to fill the gap in quality training for substance abuse counselors in Indiana and Michigan, provide students with relevant and up-to-date research-based training, and ultimately provide substance-abuse services to the community. The state of Indiana offers the Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (CADAC), a professional certification for substance abuse counselors, and offers licensure in the area of addictions counseling. This graduate certificate program fulfills many requirements for this licensure.

Admission Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education in any field of study.
• Provide official transcripts from all graduate and undergraduate institutions attended. Degrees must be earned from a regionally accredited institution or an IU approved international institution.

a.   Applicants to graduate programs in the School of Education must have an overall CGPA of 3.000 or have earned a CGPA of 3.000 in the last 60 hours of their undergraduate degree and meet all other admission requirements to be fully admitted to graduate programs in the School of Education.

b.   Applicants whose CGPAs are between 2.500 and 2.999 must earn required GRE scores and meet all other admissions requirements to be fully admitted to programs in the School of Education.

c.   Applicants with undergraduate CGPAs between 2.500 and 2.999 will not be allowed to take any graded graduate coursework until they have submitted the required GRE scores and met all other admissions requirements.

d.   Applicants whose undergraduate CGPAs are between 2.500 and 2.999 may take S/F graded graduate workshops before being fully admitted. These S/F graded workshops will not fulfill degree requirements.

e.   All applicants whose undergraduate degrees are more than ten years old must take two sections of the GRE. The applicant must earn a score of at least 450 on the Verbal Reasoning and at least a 3.5 on the Analytical Writing sections of the GRE to be eligible for admission.

• An interview with program faculty.
• A personal statement.

a.   List and describe your work and volunteer experiences related to the field of counseling and human services.

b.   List and describe education and training related to the field of counseling and human services beyond your formal coursework which you have attained as a result of participation in workshops, seminars, professional meetings, etc.

c.   Why have you selected counseling and human services as a preferred area of study?

d.   What characteristics do you have that you believe would make you a successful counselor?

e.   What additional information do you wish to bring to the awareness of the screening committee regarding your application?

• Three letters of recommendation at least two of which are professional in nature (e.g., from employers or university course instructors).

Required Courses (15 cr.)

Courses are offered on an annual basis and are scheduled at times convenient for working adults at either the South Bend or Elkhart campuses. Courses will be offered in evening and weekend formats. In addition, some courses will be offered partially or completely online. Students can plan on the following course schedule:

Fall Semester

• EDUC-G 510 Introduction to Alcohol and Drug Counseling
• EDUC-G 511 Screening and Assessment of Alcohol and Drug Problems

Spring Semester

• EDUC-G 512 Counseling Approaches with Addictions
• EDUC-G 513 Legal and Illegal Drugs of Abuse

Summer Session

• EDUC-G 514 Practicum in Alcohol and Drug Counseling

The practicum consists of 220 clock hours of onsite practicum service. For every 10 hours of clinical service that you provide you must complete 1 hour of supervision with your field supervisor. Your field supervisor must hold a CACDA II certification or some form of licensure in the state of Indiana. Under very rare circumstances, alternate arrangements may be made. However, in these instances you must contact the Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ICAADA) by telephone at (317) 923-8800 or at the following address:

Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse :: 800 N. Meridian St., Suite 507 :: Indianapolis, IN 46202

Written confirmation giving approval of your noncertified supervisor must be provided by ICAADA.

During your on-site hours, you must provide evidence of performance in each of the 12 core functions of addictions counseling:

• Screening
• Orintation
• Treatment planning
• Case management
• Client education
• Reports and record keeping
• Intake
• Assessment
• Counseling
• Crisis intervention
• Referral
• Consultation

You will need to produce an artifact of each of these activities signed by your field supervisor. Hand in a copy to your university supervisor and retain a copy for your records.

The certificate can be completed in one year, with two classes offered in both the fall and spring semesters. The field experience practicum will be scheduled during the summer.

Alcohol and Drug Certification Completion Application

Candidates must file a certification completion application with the Education Advising Office in Education and Arts 203.

Application for certificate deadline dates are as follows:

For :: Deadline

May and August :: October 1
December :: March 1

Failure to file this application by the proper deadline may result in failure to receive certificate at the expected time. The responsibility for checking certificate requirements rests with the student.