About the Society of Certified Senior Advisors
Who We Are
The Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA) educates and certifies professionals who work with seniors. The Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)® credential applies to professionals who are able to demonstrate their competence and knowledge of working with older adults into their professional practices. By creating a network of qualified professionals, SCSA strives to create a strong and safe environment for seniors and those working with them.
CSAs are required to agree to the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility as a component of certification and must complete the Roles, Rules, and Responsibilities Ethics (RRR) module before they may be certified. The CSA Code of Professional Responsibility requires CSAs to place the needs of older adults first and foremost. Upon recertification, the CSA must reaffirm they will abide by the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility and the public should feel confident that the commitment to older adults remains throughout the period when the CSA is certified. Additionally, the CSA’s competence upon initial certification will continue to grow as they continue to practice and maintain certification as the knowledge associated with being a CSA includes knowledge of building networks of experts for professional advice.
The CSA certification and education programs are developed through a rigorous practice analysis/research study involving hundreds of professionals who work with older adults from the academic community, industry practitioners, regulators, business, and non-governmental organizations. Accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) National Addreditation Board (ANAB) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the CSA credential applies to professionals in all areas of the aging industry. SCSA is committed to maintaining the high standards of ANAB and NCCA accreditation by continually improving its certification and education programs.
In order to maintain the CSA certification, individuals are required to demonstrate a commitment to high standards, continuing education, professional ethics, and trust. This sets the CSA credential holder apart from other practitioners working with older adults.
"Being a CSA changed how I relate to people and how I'm able to vet other professionals. It means I've taken the time to study and really get to understand the transitions that seniors go through."
Angela McCants, Real Estate Professional
Our History
The Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA) was founded in 1997, to develop an education program based on the expertise of renowned doctors, attorneys, gerontologists, accountants, and financial planners. This founding group held a shared vision: that seniors would benefit from an in-depth, standardized education for the professionals who work with them. The resulting program became the basis for the Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)® designation.
Since then SCSA has continued its path to maintaining high standards of excellence in its certification program with accreditation from the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and by launching a rigorous research study involving professionals who work with seniors and senior issues from the academic community, industry practitioners, regulators and NGOs to ensure the CSA exam covers the practical real-world knowledge that those who work with seniors every day need, to meet the new challenges of a fast-growing, aging population.
In January 2012 Professional Testing Inc., a leading developer of high performance credentialing and assessment programs, acquired the Society of Certified Senior Advisors further enhancing the education, training, and assessment development available to CSAs.
About Us
Upcoming Events
More Information
Stay updated with the latest news and information from SCSA.