Northeastern Junior College hosted state Senator Byron Pelton and representatives from the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration on Thursday to promote the college’s new Accelerated Addiction Counseling Master’s Program developed in collaboration with Colorado State University.
This innovative program aims to equip students with the necessary skills and credentials to become Licensed Addiction Counselors in as little as five years. The partnership between NJC and CSU was developed in response to a community-identified need for trained addiction treatment professionals who are equipped to provide critical services for those struggling with substance-use disorders, particularly within rural areas across Colorado.
Sen. Pelton and representatives from the BHA were joined by administrators and faculty from NJC and CSU for a presentation that highlighted the collaborative effort between the two institutions to address gaps in healthcare access by developing the next generation of trained addiction professionals serving northeastern Colorado and beyond.
“We couldn’t be more excited,” an emotional Celestate Delgado-Pelton, Chair of NJC’s Liberal Arts and Academic Opportunity, said. “This has been a really long journey and one that we’re so excited about and proud to be officially throwing it out to the world today.”
The program came as a result of a fall 2018 discussion that Sen. Peloton, then a Logan County Commissioner, had with Delgado-Pelton and Logan County Human Services Director Dave Long about the the shortage of addiction counselors in northeast and eastern Colorado. At that time, there were hardly in the area and in 2019 alone, 68 children in Logan County were removed from their homes for neglect by court order because of methamphetamine use by parents. That took a big hit on the county because the child welfare allocation was overspent by $1.3 million.
“This was something we needed to address for families, for recovering addicts and just a general problem with a workforce shortage,” Delgado-Pelton said.
After years of work from individuals at NJC, CSU, BHA and previously Colorado Office of Behavioral Health, and Sen. Pelton, who was part of Gov. Jared Polis’ Behavioral Health Task Force, the program is now up and running with the first class of freshmen taking courses. They hope to have a small cohort of students beginning bachelor’s degree work in the spring or at the latest fall 2025.
Designed specifically for learners in rural areas, this unique accelerated pathway allows students to complete their two-year associate’s degree at NJC before transitioning seamlessly to CSU’s online-based program where they’ll earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees over the course of three years. The final year of the accelerated program includes an internship component to meet state certification and licensure requirements.
Class sizes will be capped at 12 students and the program has a fixed tuition rate for all three of the student’s years at CSU, an estimated savings of $15,000. The program is four courses/12 units shy of the graduate credentials required to qualify for a licensed professional counselor. Students who graduate will be eligible to be licensed addiction counselors but even if they don’t complete the master’s degree year after earning their bachelor’s degree they will still be eligible to be certified addiction specialists or certified addiction technicians.
Students in the program will be assisted by the CSU Regional Engagement Center, which will offer in-person services and a local face should students need that interaction.
“This fantastic collaboration not only fulfills a critical need in our region but allows students to remain in Northeast Colorado where they work and socialize, while they learn addiction counseling skills,” said NJC President Mike White.
Following the presentation, Sen. Pelton’s staff hosted a press conference to celebrate the program’s launch and highlight the impact of the partnership between NJC and CSU. In his remarks, Sen. Pelton stated, “It has been an honor to be part of this six-year process. To highlight two outstanding institutions that have come together to build an amazing partnership that will help fill a significant workforce shortage, strengthen behavioral health, and bring families together by providing counseling to those afflicted with addiction and reuniting children with their families.”
“Congratulations to the partners that inspired and launched this program,” said James Pritchett, Vice President for Engagement and Extension at CSU. “The vision is simple – connect students who are invested in the resilience of their communities with gifted instructors and impactful learning. It’s in that nexus that we make a difference.”
For more information about the Accelerated Addiction Counseling Master’s Program, please contact Alisha Kaufmann, NJC Behavioral Health Career Navigator at (970) 521-6912 or alisha.kaufmann@njc.edu.
To learn more about CSU Online, go to https://online.colostate.edu.