UNCP Department of Counseling Addiction Treatment Immersion Initiative - The proposed project seeks funding to infuse substance use disorder (SUD) education and training into nine courses that comprise the core curriculum for the Department of Counseling (DoC) as outlined by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This project aims to address the lack of SUD-specific education Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) and Professional School Counseling (PSC) students receive throughout their graduate level training. Through the Addiction Treatment Immersion Initiative, this proposed project will intentionally incorporate evidence-based SUD education into the required CACREP counseling curriculum. The integration of SUD content into the mainstream counseling curriculum will ultimately result in an increase in the number of culturally responsive counselors who can competently provide SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services to the underserved children, families, and individuals in the communities of Southeastern NC.
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), a public university and Native American, Minority-Serving Institution, is submitting this application for the Expansion of Practitioner Education (Prac-Ed) funding opportunity. The DoC offers graduate degree programs in Clinical Mental Health (CMHC) and Professional School Counseling (PSC). The CACREP accredited DoC, housed in the College of Health Sciences, is submitting this proposed plan in an effort to address the shortage of qualified addictive use disorder professionals in the high-need, high-demand communities surrounding UNCP. The intentional integration of SUD-specific education into the core graduate counseling curriculum will ultimately lead to an increase in the number of culturally competent, qualified clinical mental health and professional school counselors in the region by 2022. The main goals of the DoC's Addiction Treatment Immersion Initiative are to:
1. Build capacity among DoC faculty to deliver SUD-specific education and training in the mainstream CACREP curriculum.
2. Increase CMHC and PSC students' awareness and competency of evidence-based SUD education that may lead to enhanced counseling practice.
3. Leverage an evidence-based platform derived from project funding to inform local, state, and national counseling licensure boards; credentialing boards; and professional organizations that may lead to the strengthening of licensure requirements and policy revisions.
The funding requested will support the development, delivery, implementation, and evaluation of the DoC's Addiction Treatment Immersion Initiative. This includes supporting faculty training and development, as well as supporting student research, conference attendance, and advocacy efforts specific to SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
