New master`s program will emphasize counseling and prevention

Syracuse University has announced that it will begin offering a master of arts program in addiction studies this fall, specializing in counseling and prevention. Administrators began designing the program in response to the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the federal parity law on the demand for health professionals competent in addictions.

The 36-credit curriculum will span topics such as treatment planning and referral; clinical evaluation; the impact of addictions on families and relationships; and global perspectives in substance use policy, with the latter involving opportunities to travel abroad to examine how addiction issues are addressed in other countries.

Officials with the university's David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics worked closely with the New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to develop a program that would offer equal weight to developing counseling and prevention skills. The program, out of the Falk College's Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition, is designed to meet OASAS training requirements for New York's Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) and Credentialed Prevention Professional (CPP) certifications.

For more information about the new program, call (315) 443-2141 or (315) 443-5555.