The demand for substance abuse counselors is expected to grow by more than 30 percent nationally in the next decade. To meet demand for trained counselors, Nicolet College is offering a technical diploma beginning this fall.
Dean of Health Occupations Lenore Blemke says the training involves 28 credits in related subjects...
"....they will be offered through Nicolet, it's a collaborative project between Nicolet and Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. We wrote a grant together given the really high increase in the problems in the state of Wisconsin...."
Blemke says much of the demand for more counselors is driven by the Affordable Care Act which requires all residents to have health insurance and mandates treatment for substance abuse issues. She says professionals working in the field evaluate and treat people for substance abuse, work with families and educate the community about substance abuse issues.
More information is on the Nicolet Area Technical College websiteor call the main telephone number.