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Substance Use Disorders Post-baccalaureate UCERT

About The Program

The Substance Use Disorders Counseling certificate program is designed for individuals who already have a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accredited institution. Students who complete the Substance Use Disorders Post-baccalaureate certification are on a path to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) in Minnesota. Most courses in this program are offered in the evening.

National Addiciton Studies Accreditation Commission logo

The Substance Use Disorders Post-baccalaureate UCERT program is accredited by the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) https://nasacaccreditation.org/.

Substance Use Disorders Counseling certification outcomes

Students who successfully complete the Substance Use Disorders counseling certificate program will be able to:

  • Deliver best practice alcohol and drug counseling services in diverse communities.
  • Demonstrate competence in counseling and related professional skills.
  • Integrate and apply ethical standards.
  • Cultivate professional relationships through cultural responsiveness and advocacy to provide leadership in the field.
  • Prepared to gain licensure in Alcohol and Drug Counseling.

Ready to Begin Your Journey to Licensure?

Metro State is a fully accredited, comprehensive urban university that is a member of the Minnesota State higher education system. If you want to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), our expert faculty and staff are committed to helping you succeed and complete the Substance Use Disorders Post-baccalaureate Counseling certification.

How to enroll

Program eligibility requirements

To be eligible for acceptance to the Substance Use Disorders Post-Baccalaureate Certificate UCERT, the following must be completed:

  • Students must have a bachelor's degree earned from a regionally accredited college/university.
  • Approved admission to Metro State University.
  • Conditional admits must provide an official transcript with a confirmed Bachelor’s degree prior to major declaration.
  • Students must complete an official degree plan with their academic advisor.

Application instructions

To apply for admission, select the Transfer Students on the following Apply Now page. 

Apply to Metropolitan State now

Start the journey toward your Substance Use Disorders Post-baccalaureate UCERT now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Substance Use Disorders Post-baccalaureate UCERT

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Students must complete 41 credits in the certificate.

  • 16 core credits, including HSCD 303, must be completed at Metro State University.
  • Students must complete the major program courses with a letter grade of C- or higher.
  • Students must pass a Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) background study prior to practicum.

Student licensure

Licensure is required to work as an LADC. This program prepares students to take and pass the licensure exam.

Requirements (41 credits)

+ Core (32 credits)

Courses are listed in suggested sequence order.

HSER 346 is a variable credit course; ADC students should register for the 4 credit course.

This course is designed to be an overview of the practice of Alcohol and Drug Counseling. It covers the main theories or models which explain what chemical dependency is. It also provides a survey of the practice of alcohol and drug counseling, including history, licensure requirements, 12 core functions, continuum of services, culture, evidence-based practices, laws, ethics and professionalism. An orientation to the Alcohol and Drug major will also be provided.

Full course description for Introduction to Substance Use Disorders

This course introduces students to basic counseling skills to be used with clients dealing with a variety of issues including family challenges and substance use disorders. As such, it is designed to help students develop essential helping skills needed for client engagement, follow-through, completion and overall therapeutic effectiveness. It includes examination and practice Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, techniques central to helping others across a range of issues including substance use disorders. Specific skills covered include developing rapport, building empathy and active listening, encouraging trust, self-disclosure, immediacy, questioning and evoking, addressing discrepancies, etc. This course is highly experiential in its format. Students will participate in classroom exercises, role plays, and video-taping and self-assessment of counseling skills.

Full course description for Counseling and Interviewing Skills

This course teaches the dynamics of group counseling to be used with clients dealing with a variety of issues including family challenges and substance use disorders. Course includes examination and practice of Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing techniques central to helping others across a range of issues including substance use disorders. Students learn the skills of group counseling in a classroom and Training group experience. Topics include stages of group, group rules and goals, group leader skills, and types of groups. Students learn writing and charting skills necessary to document client progress. Emphasis is on interaction among group members, the counselors¿ role in group facilitating, and techniques to help group members learn to view their own behavior for self-awareness and self-disclosure.

Full course description for Group Counseling

This course brings students an understanding of race and racism while it explores the cultural dynamics of alcohol and drug counseling for diverse groups. It examines the intersection between cultural identity and the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for addressing unique counseling issues for different cultural groups. The class reviews the history of how racist agendas have shaped the fabric of the systems that serve our clients. Students review the concept of white privilege and how it is reflected in the disparity of treatment opportunities. It also provides students with information on the history, cultural distinctiveness, and counseling concerns for the following cultural groups: African-Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, European Americans, Lesbian Gay Bi-Sexual and Transgender, Women and Feminism, and Men.

Full course description for Racial and Cultural Considerations for Alcohol and Drug Counseling

Significant numbers of chemically-dependent individuals have one or more mental disorders. This course is designed to help the alcohol and drug counselor to become more familiar with the most common mental disorders, the interrelationship between mental disorders and substance abuse, and various counseling methods and treatment approaches for the dually disordered client. This course covers the main features of the most common mental disorders, how they interact with substance abuse, assessment and counseling approaches, medications used for treatment, and community resources used to help these clients.

Full course description for Co-Occurring Disorders: Substance Use and Mental Health

This course provides students with a beginning understanding of the essential components of successful case management for alcohol and drug counseling. That is, the activities which a counselor engages in to bring services, agencies, resources, and people together within a planned and coordinated framework of action toward achievement of established clinical goals. Specifically the course will focus on, the theory of case management for alcohol and drug counseling, related state and federal laws, the Twelve Core Functions, the Rules of Professional Conduct, and the practice of clinical writing.

Full course description for Case Management for Alcohol and Drug Counseling

+ Practica (880 hours minimum - 9 credits)

Prerequisite: 32 credits of Alcohol and Drug Counseling coursework (see above 8 courses) in addition to the HSCD 320 (see below).

This course is intended to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired during their academic coursework and transfer it into clinical settings. This internship requires students to demonstrate competence in the Transdisciplinary Foundations of 8 Practice Dimensions (12 core functions) of alcohol and drug counseling, including culturally competent and professionally ethical practice.

Full course description for Alcohol and Drug Counseling Group Practicum I

The alcohol and drug counseling group internship is intended to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired during their academic coursework and transfer it into clinical settings. This Internship requires students to demonstrate competence in the Transdisciplinary Foundations and 8 Practice Dimensions (12 core functions) of alcohol and drug counseling, including culturally competent and professionally ethical practice. In the classroom portion of this course, students will review and critically analyze counseling style, diversity, ethics and the agency in which they are conducting their internship. In addition, they will continue to practice and enhance clinical skills and techniques.

Full course description for Alcohol and Drug Counseling Group Practicum II