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The University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce a new academic concentration in Substance Abuse Counseling. This concentration, part of the Behavioral Science program, prepares students for direct entry into the Human Services field.

“We developed the Substance Abuse Counseling concentration in direct response to the growing need of professionals in the field,” said Shawn Graham, LCPC-C, CADC, UMFK Behavioral and Social Science program coordinator. “We understand this is a growing problem in Maine and the United States, with approximately 21 million people having a substance use disorder and a significantly larger number of people impacted by someone with a substance use disorder.”

In the Substance Abuse Counseling concentration, students are eligible to obtain their certified alcohol and drug counselor certification with the state of Maine. 

“This concentration is a foundational program of study for students considering work in the counseling field,” said Dr. Steve Gammon, UMFK Vice President of Academic Affairs.  “Substance abuse counseling is in great demand in our community and we are able to offer this concentration in conjunction with the University of Maine at Augusta.”

“Our programs have strong relationships and work collaboratively with area agencies and providers,” said Graham.  “These relationships not only better inform our program as they prepare high quality professionals to enter the field or prepare students for advanced study, they also provide increased internship and service learning opportunities.” 

Additionally, the rural setting of the university allows the program to support UMFK’s mission of nurturing rural communities and beyond through affordable, technologically-enhanced, and professionally-focused educational programs.

For more information about this concentration or the Behavioral Science program at UMFK, call 834-7500 or go to www.umfk.edu.