Help Others Heal and Overcome

Learn and embody a progressive approach toward treating addiction with another mental health disorder. Through a combination of emerging and evidence-based practices and hands-on fieldwork, you’ll prepare to promote healing and positive outcomes across diverse populations and professional settings. This Adlerian-focused CACREP-accredited program promotes social interest, advocacy, and harmony within you and your practice.

Powerful Integrated Curriculum

This 64–73 credit master’s program features expert-led coursework, internship experience, and an electronic portfolio that reflects and showcases all you’ve learned. Courses are offered:

  • on campus, face-to-face
  • online, both synchronous and asynchronous
  • in flexible hybrid formats for your convenience

Find Your Mentor

The diverse faculty is the foundation of the Adler Graduate School learning experience. Our faculty are:

  • passionate educators with online teaching expertise
  • long-time mental health professionals with an array of clinical, leadership, and research experience
  • dedicated to supporting your success

Click here to learn more about our faculty.

Licensure Information

Our program prepares you to meet licensure requirements for the licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC) and licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) credentials in MN. Additional credits are required for dual licensure as LADC and licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in MN. Does our program meet licensure requirements in your state? Contact the state licensure board here.

The Master of Arts in Counseling, Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).

CACREP accredited logo

Spotlight

Learn more about our Counseling faculty, students, and alumni.

Faculty
Antwan Player, EdD, LMHC, LPCC

Dr. Player believes the classroom is an arena for cultivating knowledge. Each student brings a diverse life experience unique from …

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Student
My time at Adler Graduate School has been a rich and empowering experience, helping me to shift my focus from “what do I want to do?” to “who do I want to be?” Starting my counseling program at AGS, I had expected to learn about theories and techniques, but working toward my degree has been much more than that. AGS is rooted in community and driven by social justice, and it has been wonderful getting to know my professors, advisors, and fellow students – even as a fully remote student. I have appreciated AGS’s comprehensive approach to counseling education. The classes provide the broad, practical skills we need to succeed, such as in interviewing and ethics, while also exposing us to the breadth and depth of counseling topics and specialties. The work is not always easy, yet I have found it to be more than worth it.
– Leslie Boyle-Milroy, (she/her)
Faculty
Doug Pelcak, MA, LSC

Doug has been with the Hopkins School District since 1979. He does private therapy specializing in working with individuals with …

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Your Future

At Adler Graduate School, you’ll experience professional growth and personal transformation. Our graduates build successful and meaningful careers with lifelong support from AGS.

A Day In the Life

Addiction counselors help individuals understand their addictions and behaviors, and manage co-occurring disorders, while guiding them through recovery. You may work with clients in crisis situations, in structured programs, or on an ongoing basis through recovery and beyond. Your practice may look like:

  • One-on-one work
  • Group sessions
  • Family meetings
  • Updates and progress reports to courts
  • Creating and guiding clients through treatment plans
  • Collaborating with other health professionals

Professional Settings

  • Mental health clinics
  • Private practice
  • Hospitals
  • Social services
  • Residential treatment facilities
  • Corrections
  • Other community settings

Field Work

Practicum

Hands-on experience is key to your success as a licensed mental health professional. All co-occurring disorders and addictions counseling emphasis students are required to complete 880 hours in the 12 core functions of field experience, including:

  • 100 hours of practicum
  • Minimum of 40 hours of Direct Service with Clients

Internships

Practice your skills in a clinical setting. All internships are supervised by a licensed mental health professional.

  • 600 hours of clinical internship
  • Minimum of 300 hours of Direct Service with Clients
  • Students will also complete 180 hours in any combination of Practicum and Internship.
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Required Courses

Please refer to our course catalog for the most up-to-date course requirements.

Program Outcomes

All Master of Arts Degree in counseling students graduate with the key skills of a co-occurring disorders and addictions counselor:

  • Social Justice and Advocacy: Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and practices to deliver culturally appropriate counseling services, advocate for clients, and understand how to influence policy to enhance the practice of clinical mental health counseling.
  • Professional Identity: Show a commitment to their identity as counselors through membership and activities in professional organizations, and through ethical behavior in their work with clients and other professionals.
  • Counseling, Prevention, and Intervention: Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and theory-based practices of culturally appropriate diagnosis, treatment, referral, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.
  • Assessment and Diagnosis: Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and practices of culturally appropriate and holistic clinical assessment and diagnosis of both psychopathology and normal developmental challenges, including appropriate use of diagnosis during trauma-causing events.
  • Ethical Decision-Making: Demonstrate competent use of ethical frameworks and methods to make ethical decisions across clinical care settings.
  • Research and Evaluation: Competently and critically evaluate clinical mental health counseling research, demonstrate understanding of evidence-based treatments and outcome evaluation, and apply appropriate models of program evaluation.

Next Steps?

It’s time to take the next step in your journey. Choose yours below.

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Contact the Admissions Office

Shawn Larson
Shawn Larson, MS
Assistant Director of Admissions

to schedule a 1:1 please use my Calendly link