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Substance Use Disorders

Website: School of Social Science and Human Services


Convener:

About the Minor

Ramapo College offers a minor in Substance Use Disorders that is primarily designed for students who are interested in substance misuse counseling.

Students are expected to have an introductory course in either psychology or social work as prerequisites for the minor sequence.

The courses in the minor will include:

  1. Introduction to Substance Use Disorders (An introductory course that must be taken prior to core courses).
  2. Case Management for Substance Use Disorders
  3. Counseling for Substance Use Disorders I
  4. Counseling for Substance Use Disorders II

The courses are repeated each year so that they can be taken in as few as three semesters.

The minor in Substance Use Disorders is designed to fulfill all of the academic requirements applicable towards state certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (CADC).

The minor is of particular interest to students majoring in the helping professions such as psychology and social work. Some courses in the minor also count towards satisfying major requirements in psychology and social work. However, the minor is open to all interested students.

The faculty teaching in this program are all professionals in the field of substance use disorder counseling. In addition to full-time faculty and staff at Ramapo College, experts from the community teach in the program on an adjunct basis. This provides students with the best combination: excellent teachers who have years of direct, professional experience in the field.

Outcomes for the Minor

Goal:  Demonstrate competence in substance use disorders specific content knowledge, be able to integrate and apply that knowledge, including critically selecting research informed interventions.

Outcome 1:  Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the spectrum of substance use disorders and the components of their evaluation.

Outcome 2:  Students will be able to demonstrate integration and application of substance use disorders counseling skills.

Requirements of the Minor
  1. At least 1/2 of the courses fulfilling a minor must be distinct from the student’s major. That is, three of the five courses required for a minor cannot be used towards fulfillment of major requirements. A school core does not need to be completed for a minor. Minors are open to students regardless of school affiliation.
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS MINOR
Related Information

School of Social Science and Human Services Website
Faculty Profiles

NOTE: For further information on State Certification on Alcohol and Drug Counseling/CADC requirements please contact:
The Certification Board www.certbd.org

Beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year, a Substance Use Disorder Track will be available to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students.  This enables BSW students to complete the CDAC requirement of 270 academic hours of substance use and counseling specific content through two Substance Use Disorder courses and the required content of the BSW program.  The two required courses are

  • SWRK 251 - INTRODUCTION TO SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
  • SWRK 338 - COUNSELING FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS II