Addiction and Recovery Certification

Prepare and get a head start on earning your Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist credential!

Overview

Important Links

The School of Social Work offers an Addictions and Recovery specialty, which is a set of electives, practicum, and certification supervision for MSW students interested in becoming a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), credentialed by the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board (NCSAPPB). Completing this curriculum will prepare the student to apply for the LCAS Associate from under Criteria C upon graduation.

Why should you take part in this "Criteria C" curriculum?

  • Receive outstanding, relevant instruction that will prepare you as an addiction specialist
  • Job opportunities shortly after graduation
  • Earn your LCAS after only one year of supervised clinical practice

Eligibility

The requirements for this include:

  • Enrollment in our MSW Program
  • Completed and approved Addiction and Recovery Application (See important Links on top, right hand section of this page)
  • Completion of 12 credit hours of electives in addiction and recovery courses listed below. Note: This represents six additional credit hours to the standard MSW coursework.
    • SW 516- Addiction Recovery and Social Work Practice (Fall, Spring, Summer) 
    • SW 526- DSM & Clinical Conditions (Fall, Spring, Summer) 
    • SW 595- Community Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (Fall) 
    • SW 595- Addiction Treatment Theories and Models (Spring) 
    • SW 595- Opioid Use Disorders: Best Practices for Prevention, Treatment and Intervention (Fall) 
    • SW 595- Trauma Informed Health and Human Services (Summer II) 
    • Introduction to Sport & Mental Health (Fall, Summer) 
           Other SW 595 electives maybe offered which qualify. (On the application, this will just read "Other approved elective")
    • Note: Traditional students should take one of the additional electives in each semester of the first year, or take classes over the summer to avoid an overload of 18 hours or more, in the second year.
      Advanced standing students should take the additional electives during the Second Summer Session before regular classes start as it is not possible to overload during the regular semesters.
      Criteria C of the NCSAPPB requires that all substance use disorders specific education (electives) be taken when the student is enrolled in the MSW Program. Classes taken as an undergraduate or transferred in do not count as Critera C education.


For additional information regarding the Addiction and Recovery Certification, feel free to contact Dr. David Fitzpatrick at dcfitzp2@ncsu.edu.