Outreach, the agency known for life-saving alcohol and substance use treatment, recovery, and professional training, is now accepting applications for scholarships to the Outreach Training Institute (OTI) for individuals in Suffolk County, Long Island, wishing to become Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASACs).
The scholarships, known as Suffolk County Workforce Development Scholarships, are for county residents and could lead to job placement, and help fill an urgent need for addiction counselors on Long Island. The scholarships are being funded through a two-year grant, totaling $1.25 million, from the first phase of the Opioid Settlement funds in Suffolk County.
In operation since 1997, OTI is licensed by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and delivers 350 hours of education required for CASAC. OTI is one of the largest and most well-established CASAC education and training providers in downstate New York. Courses are taught online and, in the evening, offering students, especially those who are currently employed, the flexibility and ease of attending from the comfort of their own home.
The Suffolk County Workforce Development Scholarships are targeted at individuals seeking to pursue their CASAC certification and who have demonstrated an interest and passion for helping people in their community. These are people who might work in Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and Office of Mental Health (OMH) programs, at human and social service agencies, or at health facilities. They may have been involved in volunteer work in their communities and/or religious, civic, or cultural institutions. They could be individuals in recovery who wish to provide peer-to-peer support to others.
Scholarships include the cost of all coursework. Two program tracks will be funded, a full 350- hour program needed to obtain CASAC certification and a 135-hour program for master’s level social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, creative arts therapists, and psychoanalysts. In addition, 40 students will receive paid internships at Outreach and other Suffolk County providers, with each receiving a stipend of $1,500. The scholarships will create a new workforce pipeline for Suffolk County.
For more information about OTI, please click here.
To apply for the 350-hour program, click here: Welcome to Outreach Training Institute.
To apply for the 135-hour program (Master’s level only), click here: Welcome to Outreach Training Institute.
About Outreach Training Institute
Outreach Training Institute (OTI), the largest provider of CASAC (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor) training in New York State, provides the education hours required by the state to achieve a CASAC Trainee (CASAC-T) certification. The CASAC credential allows counselors in New York State to specialize in treating people with substance use disorders. It can be used to work with a broad range of clients, from adolescents to adults, and in different settings/treatment modalities. OTI also provides continuing education training for professionals on best- and evidence-based practices in behavioral health.
About Outreach
For more than 40 years, Outreach has provided substance use and mental health treatment services for the communities of Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau and Suffolk counties. The agency began by offering assessment and referral services, and eventually opening the first adolescent residential treatment program in New York, helping to define substance use treatment nationally for young people under the age of 18. Since then, its programs and services have expanded and now encompass outpatient and residential treatment for adults and adolescents, with culturally responsive programming in Spanish and Polish, and for veterans and LGBTQ+ identifying-individuals. The agency’s professional staff members hail from more than 25 countries and are native speakers of languages most common to its client communities, including Spanish, Haitian Creole, French, Russian and Polish.
