The Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor (DARC) program is nationally accredited through the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) and provides education and training for persons who want to become a Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC). The DARC curriculum (30 credits) meets the Connecticut Certification Board (CCB) requirements (300 hours of education, 300 hours of supervised practicum) to become a CAC. The DARC program is currently the only nationally accredited “Addiction Studies” program among all two and four year colleges in Connecticut.

Employment

Students with a DARC Degree are highly sought after for entry level opportunities as substance abuse counselors in public and private agencies such as community and residential health facilities, local hospitals, prevention organizations, youth service agencies, and criminal justice system. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2016-17 Ed.), employment of addiction counselors is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2014-2024, much faster than average as addiction counseling services are increasingly covered by insurance. Connecticut is considered one of the states with the highest concentration of jobs in this field with a mean average wage of $46, 920.

Curriculum

The DARC program consists of two years of academic study which includes general education, DARC specialty courses and a one year internship. The following DARC courses (DAR* H101 , DAR* H111 , DAR* H112 , DAR* H158 , DAR* H213 , DAR* H220 ) are open to any student at the college, provided they meet the prerequisite of ENG* H096  or tested into ENG* H101 . Students should take DAR* H101  and DAR* H111  in fall, DAR* H112  and DAR* H158  in spring. (This would be switched if a student is attending evening classes.) Students have to complete this sequence to apply for the DARC Internship which runs fall/spring of the next academic year. Students can be enrolled in the spring DAR courses and complete the Internship application/interview process.

DARC Internship Admission Process

Acceptance into the DARC Internship (DAR* H251 , DAR* H252 ) is selective and not guaranteed. All students participate in a screening and interview process (spring semester) which is intended to evaluate whether the applicant possesses specific skills, behaviors and attitudes that are necessary to work with persons with addiction and co-occurring disorders. Interested applicants must have completed or be enrolled in DAR* H101 , DAR* H111 , DAR* H112 , DAR* H158  and ENG* H101 , and pass with a C or better prior to their internship. Students must complete and submit a formal DARC Application prior to the interview. Applications are distributed during the spring semester (Feb/March) each year. After the interviews, students are formally notified regarding acceptance to internship and ability to register for DAR* H251 - Counseling Internship I .

General Education Core course listings and definitions appear on General Education Core . Additional courses may be required. The suggested sequence for full-time students is shown on the following page. Note: The DARC program is highly sequenced. Students are encouraged to take courses in the order they are listed on the following page.