CASAC Association News and Blog
Know Our Role: What the CASAC Actually Does in SUD Treatment in New York
Start recognizing the importance and vital role of the CASAC clinician in substance use treatment in New York State CASACs are the backbone of New York’s substance use treatment system. And it’s time we are recognized, supported, and elevated. You hear it all...
Myth vs Fact: What People Get Wrong About NYS CASACs
CASACs are the backbone of New York’s addiction treatment system. And it’s time we are recognized, supported, and elevated. A lot of the public conversation about addiction treatment is built on bad assumptions. Not harmless misunderstandings. Assumptions that shape...
News Brief: Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial
A Los Angeles jury has delivered a verdict that could reshape how the U.S. talks about youth mental health and platform accountability. In the case covered by NPR, jurors found Meta and Google’s YouTube liable for harms tied to addictive design, awarding $6 million to...
Addictive Teen Social Media Use Is a Mental Health Issue, Not a “Kids These Days” Problem
You see it in waiting rooms and school hallways. A kid stares at a phone like it is oxygen. A teen snaps when the battery hits 5 percent. A parent says, “They are on it all day,” then looks defeated. You are not imagining it. The research has caught up to what you and...
Teen ADHD and Substance Use: The Treatment Gap CASACs Cannot Ignore
When ADHD Goes Unseen, Substance Use Becomes the Coping Strategy Let’s get real for a second. You’ve seen this before. A client who is distracted, restless, impulsive, and struggling to follow through, and the chart just says substance use. That’s where things get...
News: Why Do Mind-Altering Drugs Make People Feel Better?
You hear clients say it all the time: “It just makes me feel better.” And they’re not wrong. Mind-altering substances work by directly affecting the brain’s reward system, flooding it with dopamine and creating a powerful sense of relief, pleasure, or escape. The...
Helping Clients Strengthen the Decision-Making Process in Substance Use Treatment
Every day, your clients make decisions that shape their recovery trajectory. Call their sponsor or isolate. Attend the group or skip it. Be honest about a craving or minimize it. Stay in treatment or walk away. Small decisions accumulate. They build patterns. Those...
Harm Reduction Access Is Not Optional: What Substance Use Counselors Must Stop Ignoring
You can run groups all day and still lose people if services stay out of reach. Expand access. Drop stigma. Train like lives depend on it. You already know the moment. A client says they want to cut back. Then they pause. Their eyes drift. Their voice drops. “I do not...
New York State Mental Health Hearing
Testimony Introducing the CASAC Credential New York State Mental Health Hearing Good afternoon, Chair, Senators, and members of the assembly. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is A. Maria Mendez, CASAC Adv. BS, Founder/CEO of the NYS Association of...
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