By Megan Shearin
Old Dominion University is now offering a new undergraduate minor in addiction treatment and prevention.
The minor, designed to meet the growing need for substance abuse service providers, features courses taught by faculty in the Darden College of Education Department of Counseling & Human Services. Currently, faculty in the department offer undergraduate courses to students seeking a bachelor of science degree in Human Services and advanced-degree courses for students seeking a master of education in Mental Health and/or School Counseling, an Educational Specialist degree in Counseling or a doctorate of education in Counselor Education. In October 2016, the master's program in Counseling was named the top program in the United States by the country's leading counselor education and supervision organization.
The new undergraduate minor program, which will begin fall 2017, complements many academic majors across the university by providing a specific course of study related to the provision of addiction services. Students who complete the minor will gain knowledge and experience in the 12 core competency areas identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as vital to the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for professional practice in addiction services.
The 18-hour undergraduate minor consists of fundamental courses in the areas of human services, including human service methods, psychoeducational groups, substance abuse and substance abuse treatments and research. Another key component of the minor is the field observation course, which requires 50 hours of observation at human services site focused on substance abuse.
Dr. Tammi Dice, faculty lead on the initiative for establishing the new minor, said that with the increase of substance abuse issues in our communities the demand has risen for human services professional to meet the needs of those suffering from addiction.
"Today, employers expect mental health providers to be knowledgeable and skilled in addiction treatment and prevention," said Dice, associate professor of Counseling and Human Services. "Our new minor in addictions - along with our addictions track for those students majoring in Human Services - aims to fill a gap in existing training programs." She noted that through this new undergraduate minor, students would leave Old Dominion having completed the required coursework for seeking the Certified Substance Abuse Counselor credential and the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor credential.
Dr. Tim Grothaus, department chair of Counseling and Human Services, said the department is continuously exploring alternative ways to serve community needs for training in these critical areas at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
"This new minor will expand our offerings for current students in our program while also providing opportunities for undergraduate students from across academic disciplines," said Grothaus.
Dean of the Darden College of Education Jane Bray said this new minor "represents the Darden College of Education's strategic goal of ensuring that curriculum meets the future professional needs of all students and builds upon the College's longstanding history of providing highly rigorous and effective educational programs."