Counseling: Addiction Counseling Concentration, M.A.

• Our courses offer practical assignments through which students may shadow an addiction counselor, visit treatment facilities and learn from practitioners who visit the classroom to share their experiences.
• Students complete an internship over two semesters spending 20 hours per week in a counseling setting where they are supervised by a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist who is a Certified Clinical Supervisor. Our students have been placed in a variety of sites to complete their clinical training such as the McLeod Center, Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center, the SABER program, and the Charlotte Rescue Mission.
• The Cato College of Education hosts the annual McLeod Institute on Addiction, a week-long training conference for professional practitioners and graduate students. Students earn three (3) hours of graduate credit by participating in the Institute. This professional workshop allows students to gain valuable insights from current practitioners and connect with professionals in the field.
• Our program annually receives scholarship money from the NC Governor’s Institute on Substance Abuse to support our students in obtaining their master’s degree in addiction. Students who qualify for this award also receive support toward obtaining the Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor credential post-graduation.

Core Courses

Concentration Courses – 1 course per semester, except Summer II session

• Over the past 10 years, 100% of our graduates have passed the licensure exam for addictions on the first attempt.
• Our students participate in three semesters of field experience, including a practicum and two internships, giving them experience in a broad range of skill areas, including individual counseling; group counseling; parent and/or family counseling; program development, implementation and evaluation; staff development and training; and appropriate administrative functions and processes relative to their clinical placement. They graduate with over 600 hours of clinical experience, including 300 hours of direct client contact.
• The Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling is housed in the UNC Charlotte Department of Counseling and the current editor is on our faculty. This national publication brings our students in contact with cutting-edge research and scholarship
• UNC Charlotte’s program is one of only five in the state that has been approved by the North Carolina Substance Abuse Practice Board (NCSAPPB), which is the credentialing body for addiction counselors in the state of North Carolina. This gives students in our addictions program a fast track to licensure as a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS).
• Completing the Addiction Counseling Concentration makes our graduates eligible to apply for dual licensure as a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) within the first two years of their practice
• Our program is a member of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) which gives graduates very portable skills. Depending on the certification, students may be able to transfer certification to another state without retaking a course. Currently, thirty-eight states, Puerto Rico and D.C. are members of the Consortium.
• Our Addiction Counseling program has been recognized twice as the Outstanding National Program of the Year in addictions from the International Association of Addiction & Offender Counseling (IAAOC), first in 2008 and again in 2011.
• Our Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP Accreditation provides recognition that the content and quality of the program have been evaluated and meets standards set by the profession.

Our graduates go on to be leaders and experts in their field. UNC Charlotte Addiction Counseling alumni work for industry leaders such as:

• McLeod Treatment Center
• Anuvia
• Charlotte Rescue Mission
• SABER
• Phoenix Counseling Center