Licenses and Credentials

Submitted by tomrue on

Summary

I completed a Masters Degree in Counseling at Rider College (now Rider University) in 1985, and previously a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey) in 1983. I have worked as a professional counselor since that time and am licensed by the State of New York as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (Master CASAC). I am board-certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Diplomate and Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Substance Abuse & Co-occurring Disorders (DCMHS) with the American Mental Health Counselors Association.

Higher education and training that I have completed has included course-work and seminars on mental health, healthy and pathological aspects of psychology, addictions and recovery, family therapy, sexual health, social and intimate relationships, mindfulness, meditation, guided relaxation, psychology of women, men's issues, GLBT issues, feminist spirituality, cultural competency, recovery from sexual and physical trauma, personality, learning, family and couples therapy, blended family issues, parenting, adolescence, cults, gangs, preventing and living with STDs, HIV, AIDS and other blood-born illnesses, aging, quality of life during or after cancer treatment and other chronic physical or mental disabilities, grieving the loss of loved ones, law and ethics in mental health practice. I regularly attend continuing education programs to learn new skills and stay current.

I have taught college classes in Humanistic Psychology, Self-Management, and Methodology of Behavioral Research for Sullivan County Community College, Marist College, and Mercy College. I am provisionally certified as a School Counselor in New York and Nevada. From the 1970s onward, I have volunteered many hours of pro bono community service, served on boards of directors for more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, and helped establish local charitable and human service organizations.

In addition to being licensed to provide psychotherapy as a mental health counselor, I am authorized by NYS Office of Addiction and Support Services and NYS Division of Motor Vehicles to conduct assessments for abuse of alcohol and other drugs under the Standards for Clinical Services Provided to Individuals Arrested for an Impaired Driving Offense, in accordance with Section 1198-a of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) and in conjunction with Section 19.07(g) of the NYS Mental Hygiene Law, as added by Chapter 732 of the Laws of 2006 as amended by Chapter 669 of the Laws of 2007.

Curriculum Vitae

To verify currency of my licenses, go to the following linked sites, enter my name, then select the relevant credential. Copies of my CV and resume of local community service are linked below.

Licenses and Certificates

Adoption Home Studies

  • Sullivan and Orange County Family Courts list me among mental health professions offered as a resource for prospective adoptive parents seeking a private adoption and pre-certification home-study. [documentation]

DWI Assessments and Driving Privilege Restoration

  • I am authorized by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services to conduct substance abuse screenings and assessments with people who have been charged with driving related offenses such as DWI and am an approved practitioner with NYS OASAS Impaired Driver Services (including completion of what was formerly known as the DMV Form DS-449, a now nearly obsolete paper form but still a necessary step toward restoration of driving privileges via the IDS after successful completion of treatment and a period of sobriety). [documentation]

Professional Memberships

Directories

Classroom Teaching Experience

I have taught undergraduate level Psychology courses for SUNY-Sullivan (Humanistic Psych), Marist College (Methodology of Behavioral Research), and Mercy College (Introduction To Self-Management). Early in my professional career, while in graduate school, I worked as a substitute teacher at various districts in Mercer County, New Jersey and Sullivan County, New York.

Every two years, to keep my credentials up to date, I complete a minimum of 100 hours (usually more) of professional continuing education in the fields of mental health and addictions counseling.


Biographical Listings

  • Who's Who in the World, 12th Edition (1995).
    Marquis Publishers, New Providence, NJ.
  • Who's Who in the East, 24th Edition (1993-1994).
    Marquis Publishers, Wilmette, IL.
  • International Men of Achievement, 16th Edition (1993).
    International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, UK.
  • Who's Who Among Human Service Professionals, 3rd Ed. (1991). National Reference Inst., Wilmette, IL.
  • Who's Who in Genealogy and Heraldry, Volume II (1984).
    Meyer and Filbey Publishers, Savage, MD.

Graduate Education

I completed my graduate education (M.A.) in 1985 at Rider College, which is now (though it was not yet at the time) accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs. As part of that schooling, I completed internships in mental health counseling at St. Francis Hospital partial psychiatric hospitalization program and Anchor House for Runaways in Trenton, New Jersey, as well as working as "resident support person" for the Progress for the Disabled Foundation nearby. I completed further graduate classes in psychology in the 1990s at The University of Iowa; and an additional field placement in school counseling through Rider University in 2000 at Fallsburg High School, Sullivan County, New York, while employed full-time as a staff social worker with the Sullivan County Department of Community Services, resulting in that additional certification from the New York State Education Department.

Institution URL www.rider.edu
Program Name Rider University - Community Counseling - M.A.
Program Description: "The community counseling program prepares professionals for counseling positions in higher education, rehabilitation hospitals, medical centers, mental health agencies, industry, private practice, and other community settings. The course of study meets the core requirements for the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)."


Compare Clinical Education of LMHCs, LCSWs, and LMSWs


Personal

I have been a resident and part of the Upper Delaware River Valley community since 1985, including being appointed as the municipal historian and Library Trustee in Monticello and numerous other community service activities; with three grown children and several grandchildren.

Professional Member: American Counseling Association NBCC AMHCA

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