By Amy Kurfist
Dr. Chaniece Winfield, lecturer of human services and addiction credential coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Darden College of Education, was recently named one of five new members to the board of directors for the Virginia Certification Board (VCB). VCB is a private, non-profit corporation which offers voluntary credentialing to substance abuse and other behavioral health professionals. VCB is a member of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), the global leader in the credentialing of prevention, addiction treatment and recovery professionals.
Winfield joined Old Dominion University in 2013, and she has accumulated over 10 years of experience as a behavioral health practitioner specializing in providing substance abuse and mental health services to individuals and families across the lifespan. Winfield's appointment to the board of directors for the VCB provides a national and international service platform in the addiction and mental health field across behavioral health disciplines.
According to Dr. Tim Grothaus, Counseling and Human Services department chair, "Dr. Winfield's addition to the Board of Directors of VCB provides excellent representation for our department as it relates directly to graduate and undergraduate program credentialing - an area of incredible pride for both myself and Dean Jane Bray. We are honored to have her represent our department and the college."
The Department of Counseling and Human Services has begun to develop addiction education leading to credentialing, exemplified by the certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC) credential. Certified alcohol and drug counselors help clients overcome addiction to drugs, alcohol, or gambling, and the credential can be completed through coursework in the human services substance abuse track. To learn more about this credential and the many other undergraduate and graduate level offerings in the Department of Counseling and Human Services, please visit http://odu.edu/chs.