Martin University is proud to announce a revised Community Psychology master’s program now offered at the university to support the educational training of both mental health counselors and clinical addictions counselors through a $100,000 grant from the Anthem Foundation. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the organizations are coming together to enhance the mental health and substance abuse disorder workforce to address the ongoing challenges that continue to impact our Indiana communities.
People with a substance abuse disorder often have other mental health illnesses, the most common being depression and anxiety disorders. Studies show that more than 50% who have a serious mental illness also have substance use or abuse disorder. It is estimated that 10 percent of adults in the United States have a drug use disorder at some point in their lives. This suggests that over 30 million Americans will experience a substance abuse disorder. Perhaps more concerning is that 75% report not receiving any form of treatment. In Indiana, there were over 14,000 visits to the emergency room for substance abuse issues and 1,026 deaths due to drug misuse in 2018. It is estimated that in Marion County, there are at least 9,000 individuals with opioid use disorder and about 40,000 people who misuse opioids.
The combined evidence clearly shows an ongoing substance abuse problem in the United States and that persons often with substance abuse issues need counseling services for other mental illnesses. The program at Martin University will train students to counsel persons with mental health and addiction issues. The mental health/addictions counseling needs for communities of color have historically been underserved. While there are many contributors to this, one fact is that persons from communities of color preferred to be counseled by persons who look like them in a culturally relevant environment. By increasing the workforce of African American counselors, there will be more opportunities for Black clients to receive needed counseling services from someone who comes from the same culture as themselves.