Substance Use & Recovery Counseling Undergraduate Certificate

The Substance Use and Recovery Counseling undergraduate certificate program contributes to the mission of the Department of Counseling and Human Services by preparing students to provide culturally- responsive, trauma-informed substance use counseling services.

The curriculum is designed to meet the core curriculum standards set forth by the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and to help students become certification-eligible.

Alignment of SURC Courses with CAT & CAS Required Coursework

In the state of Colorado, students pursuing the Certified Addiction Technician (CAT), and Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS) credentials must meet specific educational requirements (e.g. completion of a High School diploma, or Bachelor’s Degree), complete a minimum number of supervised fieldwork hours, and complete specific substance use courses. Some of the required substance use courses must be completed at a BHA approved clinical training site.

The UCCS Substance Use and Recovery Counseling (SURC) program is an approved clinical training site, thus all courses completed may be used when applying for the CAT, and CAS credentials.

Why complete your CAT, and/or CAS coursework at UCCS? When completing your CAT and/or CAS coursework at UCCS, you are earning college credit. The SURC courses challenge students to develop the knowledge, skills, awareness, and advocacy competencies necessary to excel in the field of substance use treatment. These courses will be reflected on a college transcript, and may contribute to efforts to earn an advanced degree.

Please see the CAC Training Program Handbook for Addictions Counselors for additional details regarding the CAT and CAS application process and requirements, and the Training Facilities tab for list of approved clinical training sites (available using the button below).

Students completing this certificate program engage in the rigorous training and fieldwork experiences necessary to develop the knowledge, skills, awareness, and advocacy competencies necessary for high-quality client care.

• Principles of addiction treatment
• Introduction to addiction counseling skills
• Pharmacology and infectious diseases
• Introduction to the counseling profession
• Basic and advanced motivational interviewing
• Co-occurring disorders and trauma-informed care

Course content, program length, academic level, admission requirements, and prerequisites for the Substance Abuse and Recovery Counseling course sequence were determined through collaboration with the Office of Behavioral Health Certified Addiction Counselor Clinical Training Program.

Students must complete program-required courses with a passing grade of 70% in each class.

For details on program coursework, please visit the Academic Catalog.

Curious where the BHA required classes for the CAT and CAS are covered in SURC courses? The table below provides an outline of which BHA required courses for the CAT and CAS are covered in each SURC course

To learn more about admission requirements and the application process, please visit the UCCS Admissions Details page.

Additional Resources:

• Tuition Rate
• Cost of Tuition Estimator
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships