Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School Celebrates Next Generation of Counselors at Upcoming Commencement Ceremony

Center City, Minn. (April 22, 2025) – The Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School is proud to announce its annual commencement ceremony, set to take place on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Hazelden Betty Ford campus in Center City. This campus is not only home to the Graduate School but also to a treatment center recently recognized by Newsweek's America's Best Addiction Treatment Centers.

"It's an exciting event, not only for our graduates but also for all of us who work in the field," said Kevin Doyle, EdD, president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School. "These graduates are prepared to save and change lives and lead the industry in a meaningful way with the transformative educational experience they've received here."

The invitation-only commencement will be held at the Bigelow Auditorium on the Hazelden Betty Ford campus in Center City, Minn., on Friday, April 25 at 1:30 p.m. CT. The celebration will continue with a reception in the Cork Atrium, where graduates will be cheered on as they embark on their next chapter of hope and healing.

Dr. Monica Band, an award-winning, trauma-informed licensed mental health therapist and educator, will deliver the commencement address. Dr. Band is renowned for her expertise in culturally competent and responsive care.

"We are honored to have Dr. Monica Band as our commencement speaker this year," said Dr. Doyle. "Dr. Band's dedication to mental health justice and her expertise in culturally competent care are truly inspiring. Our graduates and their guests will greatly benefit from her insights on the importance of mental health education and services for underrepresented and underserved communities."

Dr. Band joins a distinguished list of past Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School commencement speakers, including Jerry Moe, founder of HBF's children's program; sports agent Leigh Steinberg; the late New York Times columnist David Carr; North Dakota Former First Lady Kathryn Burgum; news anchor Laurie Dhue; Dr. John Kelly from the Recovery Research Institute; Robert DuPont, MD, the first director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Michael Botticelli, the first person in recovery to lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Fifty-six new graduates will be recognized for earning master's degrees in counseling with a specialization in addiction counseling. These graduates are equipped to provide integrated, comprehensive addiction and mental health care consistent with best practices. Nearly all will pursue careers in counseling or related fields within the addiction treatment and recovery sector, with some continuing on to doctoral studies. Employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 19 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations, driven by the overdose epidemic, broader addiction crisis, and rising mental health concerns¹.

Founded in 1963 as the Hazelden Chemical Dependency Counselor Training Program, the institution evolved into the Graduate School in 1999, admitting its first master's students. As the longest continuously accredited provider of substance use counselor training in the United States, the school has educated students from 47 states, three U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and 44 countries, including Japan, Iceland, Norway, Great Britain, and Bermuda. The school continues to set standards for the field.

With both onsite and distance-learning options, the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School typically enrolls over 200 students annually in its addiction counseling programs. Graduates have a 99% exam pass rate and a 92% employment rate within six months of graduation².

For more information about the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School and its programs, or to inquire about commencement activities, please email graduateschool@hazeldenbettyford.edu.

1. "Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, last updated August 29, 2024. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.htm (visited April 14, 2025)
2. 98.9% exam pass rate among graduates taking the licensing/certification examination the first time within six months of graduation (based on 115/125 survey respondents from 2019- 2023), and 92.0% of graduates are successfully employed within six months of graduation (based on 115/125 survey respondents from 2019-2023). 

About the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School

The Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School educates future leaders in addiction counseling who provide evidence-based, integrated care for substance use and co-occurring disorders. Hazelden Betty Ford has been training addiction counselors longer than any other institution in the U.S. and aims to set the international standard for addiction counselor education, practice and leadership. The school and its programs hold accreditations from the Higher Learning Commission, the National Addiction Studies Accreditation, Commission, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational