Free Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate Cohort offered through UH Maui College

Applications are now being accepted from Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi residents for the 2024-2026 Kealahoʻimai Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate cohort offered through the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College’s Human Services Program.

Students in the free Substance Abuse Counseling cohort will complete seven online courses over a span of two years in order to earn two Certificates of Competence that satisfy educational requirements for those seeking to become a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. 

Coursework will teach basic counseling skills and approaches within individual, group and substance abuse treatment settings along with case management skills including intake, assessment, coordination, planning, referral, advocacy, and documentation. Opportunities to practice skills will be delivered through role playing as well as fieldwork in supervised settings.

The cohort will enroll in one, 3-credit course per semester or summer for a total of 21 credits. All courses will meet online during weekday evenings starting no earlier than 5 p.m. The first course, Individual Counseling, will begin on Jan. 8, 2024 for the 2024 spring semester and meet Tuesday evenings from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Subsequent courses will include Group Counseling during summer 2024, Survey of Substance Abuse Disorders during the 2024 fall semester, Substance Use Disorder Counseling during the 2025 spring semester, and Case Management during summer 2025.

The cohort will end with 400 hours of fieldwork experience at a local human services agency as part of two levels of Seminar and Fieldwork courses during the fall 2025 and spring 2026 semesters. Graduates of the cohort will need to fulfill a substantial number of additional supervised work verification hours as well as pass the state exam in order to earn the CSAC professional certification from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health.

Applicants must be ages 18 and older, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and reside on Maui, Molokaʻi, or Lānaʻi. The online application deadline is Dec. 3, 2023 for non-UHMC students or Dec. 17, 2023 for current UHMC students. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and select applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview. More information and the application can be accessed at www.hnkop.org/kealahoimai or contact kealahoi@hawaii.edu.

This is the second free Substance Abuse Counseling cohort to be sponsored by Hui No Ke Ola Pono’s Kealahoʻimai program, which promotes Native Hawaiian workforce development in the healthcare and wellness industries.