To address the growing issue of addiction on the Mid Shore, Chesapeake College will offer a new Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate program beginning the 2018-2019 academic year.

The new addictions certificate is a step toward an Associate of Arts degree in Human Services and Behavioral Health at Chesapeake, but students can begin working in the field prior to graduation.

“The Local Drug and Alcohol Abuse Councils who serve the five-county Mid Shore came to us last year with an urgent need for training and educating new counselors to help with the rising number of citizens in need, especially those suffering from opioid addictions,” said Jon Longest, Chair of Health Professions at Chesapeake.

Those who follow the counseling coursework scheduled for Chesapeake’s fall and winterim semesters and the first half of the spring semester, are eligible to apply for trainee status with the State of Maryland. Trainees can start working in the field with proper supervision from an employer while continuing coursework at Chesapeake toward a degree.

Substance abuse counseling classes at Chesapeake include: Theories of Counseling; Pharmacology of Psychoactive Drugs; Addiction, Treatment and Delivery; and Ethical Issues in Counseling.

Those who earn certificates and degrees in substance abuse counseling are eligible to work at government health departments, community counseling centers, addiction counseling centers and rehabilitation organizations.

For more information on the Substance Abuse Counseling Program at Chesapeake, visit the Current Catalog at www.chesapeake.edu. Click here for more https://bit.ly/2KVVyBP