Alaska offers fast-track fall training for substance-abuse counselors

Alaska is offering accelerated certification courses for substance-abuse counselors this fall, aiming to expand the workforce treating a crisis that touches nearly every Alaska community.

Alaska has among the highest rates of substance-use disorder in the nation. The state's overdose death rate climbed 18% between 2020 and 2021, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Rural communities face particularly acute shortages of certified counselors, leaving residents with limited access to treatment even as fentanyl and methamphetamine spread across the state.

Waypoint Continuing Education will run two intensive certification programs this fall. A Counselor Technician intensive runs September 14-29. A Chemical Dependency Counselor level-one intensive runs October 12-23.

Participants complete all required coursework for their certification level. Both programs include five in-person days in Anchorage or a fully remote option. Scholarships are available through Waypoint.

The intensives target Alaskans already working in behavioral health who need formal certification and those looking to enter the field. The accelerated format lets participants complete the education requirement without leaving their communities for extended periods.

The Alaska Division of Behavioral Health manages State Opioid Response programs and expanded crisis services including 988 and the Crisis Careline. The division certified the state's first two behavioral health clinics under a federal demonstration program last year and received a $272 million federal award to reshape rural health care delivery.

Registration is open at https://www.waypointcontinuingeducation.com/clinical-intensives. Questions can be directed to [email protected] or 253-220-9452.