Portage College is excited to announce the approval of its Addictions Counselling Diploma program. The application process began last year, with the full support of the Alberta government.
"By investing in expanding the number of mental health-related programs across Alberta, we are ensuring that communities have a strong, capable workforce to meet their mental health needs for years to come," said Alberta's Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney at the time of the announcement. "Increasing the number of trained mental health professionals in our province will directly benefit families and vulnerable Albertans by making critical mental health services more accessible."
The program was granted approval on April 11. The first intake of students is expected in the fall of this year, and Portage is excited to teach and train students for this important work that has a positive impact on people and communities. The Addictions Counselling program was made possible by funding from the Government of Alberta's Mental Health Professions Enrollment Expansion grant program. This grant will support the continued development of the program.
This funding is part of a provincial investment aimed at creating new spaces in mental health-related programs across Alberta's post-secondary institutions. The initiative focuses on critical areas such as psychiatric nursing, psychology, social work, child and youth care, and addiction counselling.
Portage College is proud to contribute to this important provincial effort. "The need for more addictions counsellors in northeast Alberta is something that I have been hearing loud and clear from the partners in our region," says Nancy Broadbent, President and CEO of Portage College. "I am very proud of the work done by our faculty on the program's development and grateful to the Government of Alberta for supporting its launch."
Dr. Donna Feledichuk, Vice President of Academics and Research at Portage College, added, "We have heard from our stakeholders about the pressing need for this program in our region. We are grateful to the Government of Alberta for providing the necessary funding, which allows us to meet the needs of the communities we serve."
Lyla Allan, coordinator for Portage College's Community Social Work program, is excited to get the program off the ground. "The Addiction Counselling program at Portage College is an exciting opportunity for those that are interested in working in the addictions field," Allan says. "The diploma will provide theory as well as practical learning to assist individuals needing supports."
For further information, please contact: info@portagecollege.ca or 1-866-623-5551
