Center City, Minn. (April 3, 2018) – Students of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies now have the option to attend classes in St. Paul.
The Center City-based school piloted a class via simultaneous video conferencing during winter term; additional classes will be offered in St. Paul during this year's summer and fall semesters, beginning May 20 and Sept. 4, respectively.
Many of the graduate school's students work full time—several of them in the Twin Cities metro area. St. Paul classes will provide added convenience and help both current and future students as they juggle the demands of work, family and school.
"Providing multiple options is one of the best ways the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School can attract and serve students," said Provost Valerie Slaymaker, PhD. "We are committed to making education more convenient for our busy students and supplying the addiction treatment field with as many highly trained clinicians as possible."
Offering simultaneous video conference classes at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's historic facility in St. Paul, a bustling hub of hope and healing for decades, is the graduate school's latest response to the high demand for addiction and mental health counselors, driven in recent years by the opioid crisis that continues to ravage communities across the country. In 2015, the school also launched an online degree that will continue to serve students who are unable to participate in Center City or St. Paul.
The Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies has been training addiction counselors for more than 50 years, uniquely combining academics with direct clinical practice and immersing students in the rich and expert legacy of its parent organization, the Center City-based Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a national nonprofit addiction treatment leader with 17 sites across the country.
"The new class options in St. Paul reflect our commitment to integrating innovation with experience, and science with wisdom," Slaymaker said. "It's a formula that has worked well for our students. Our graduates are quickly employed and in high demand." Of 408 graduates between 2002 and April 2017 responding to a survey, 92 percent were employed within six months of finishing their degree.
About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. It is the nation's leading nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 17 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care to help youth and adults reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. It includes the largest recovery publishing house in the country, a fully accredited graduate school of addiction studies, an addiction research center, an education arm for medical professionals and a unique children's program, and is the nation's leader in advocacy and policy for treatment and recovery. Learn more at HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford.
Stay in touch with the latest Graduate School program and student information by visiting HazeldenBettyFord.edu and following on Facebook or LinkedIn.