My work towards certification in Substance Abuse Counseling is going pretty well. I'm taking six credits in AODA/counseling this semester and plan on receiving my training certification in December. After that, I intend to work towards getting my licensure in Social Work with a specialty in Substance Abuse Counseling. I think that this is a really important area to work in especially with the changes in societal attitudes towards drug and alcohol use, the availability of alternative treatment and programs that allow people to avoid jail, and perhaps most interestingly, the increasing awareness about the potential benefits of drugs that used to be considered the most dangerous. These benefits, which are under very close supervision by the FDA and top-notch research institutions, are looking at whether drugs like LSD, MDMA or Ecstasy, Psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana are effective in treating a wide variety of disorders and conditions such as depression, PTSD, headaches, addictions to other substances, and effects from cancer. I'm also encouraged by the fact that improvements to accessing mental health and substance abuse treatment are in the pipeline due to health care legislation passed earlier this year by congress. I'll be posting more articles in the future that more specifically address things that I'm interested in, but here is a link to an overview printed in yesterday's Toronto Star. Check it out, see what you think... Tune in: psychedelic drugs are back - thestar.com
No comments:
Post a Comment