3 minute read
Is a Career in Addictions Studies Right for You?
eDucation sPotliGht
Is a Career in Addiction Studies Right for You?
Advertisement
by Mary E. Berg
Photos courtesy of Jamison / Clark
Jamison
Perhaps you’ve wondered whether a career in addiction counseling would be a good fit for you. You’re sober, or have recovered from an eating disorder, gambling addiction, or substance abuse. You’ve cleaned up your life, helped a few others change theirs, and now you feel you could do more. You’d like a job that supports others struggling with addiction. It turns out that you’re not alone. According to Dr. Jorja Jamison, Associate Professor of Addiction Studies at Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, one-third to two-thirds of students might identify as a person in recovery. “I don’t think that I’ve ever met a single student in the ten years I’ve been here who wasn’t touched by addiction in some way. Either having a loved one with a substance abuse disorder, having dealt with one themselves, or seeing it in the community. Everyone gets touched by addiction to get into this field.”
Sandra Clark, Adjunct Faculty Member in Addiction Studies, sees a similar pattern at Minneapolis Hennepin Technical College. “A number of students in my classes are in recovery, have a co-occurring substance abuse, or have a family member with substance abuse or a mental health issue. Others simply have a passion for helping people. Any addiction counseling program will have this make-up.”
Hazelden offers two degrees, one completed online and the other on campus in Center City and St. Paul. Both degrees allow students to get dual licensure – as alcohol and drug counselors and as a master’s level mental health practitioner – meaning licensed to work with all of the co-occurring mental health concerns, from depression and anxiety to trauma. According to Dr. Jamison, 80% of substance abuse clients have a co-occurring disorder. Hazelden graduates are equipped to deal with that entire range of concerns.
These two programs provide a good study in comparison for selecting an addiction studies school. At Hazelden Betty Ford, the programs offered are master’s degree programs. A previous college degree of any kind is required, along with an application, letters of reference, an essay, and the typical things you’d see required for college admission. Minneapolis College also offers two programs, however, the associate degree in Addiction Studies is one that students can enter straight from high school. Ms. Clark followed that model in her path to becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. She completed her associate degree at Inver Hills Community College and transferred to Metro State University to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She said, “When I graduated from high school, I was looking for a smaller school. I didn’t want to get lost in the numbers. It [a bigger college] was intimidating. I was looking for a community college, a place where I could get acclimated and then move to a 4-year college.”
The second program at Minneapolis College, the 36-credit diploma program, is designed for students with any previous college degree to meet Minnesota’s requirements to apply for licensure in addictions counseling.
Hazelden Betty Ford gets students from diverse backgrounds and their online program attracts people from around the world. The average age is 43; much higher than most graduate programs. These students have had careers such as lawyers, doctors, or administrators. “In the old days of addiction counseling,” Dr. Jamison noted, “it used to be that the only qualification needed was that you were a person in recovery. This is a new generation. It’s considered a field of counseling, a specialty that uses all that we know in terms of research and in terms of helping people improve their lives.”
“In the past, society didn’t really know how to treat mental health disorders,” she said. “Instead, people were cordoned off and institutionalized. People with substance abuse disorders weren’t getting better because they weren’t getting the
Clark
career in aDDiction stuDies to pg 9
