Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School recognized as "cutting edge" by International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors

Center City, Minn. (April 17, 2024) – Robust, evidence-based and immersive education for future counselors working with patients experiencing substance use and other mental health conditions is at the core of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School—and the reason it earned the 2024 International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (IAAOC) Outstanding Program Award.

Each year, the IAAOC acknowledges a graduate program that demonstrates a commitment to training professionals who address addiction/offender issues and exemplifies "cutting edge" training.

"We're honored that the IAAOC has recognized our program's steadfast commitment to providing future counselors with intensive coursework," said Kevin Doyle, Ed.D., president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, which is part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the nation's leading nonprofit system of addiction and mental health care, recovery resources, and related education, prevention, research and advocacy. "This recognition, combined with the early success of our alternative admissions pathway for students without a bachelor's degree, is affirmation that the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School is making a meaningful impact on narrowing healthcare inequities and meeting the urgent need for well-trained, educated, caring substance use and mental health professionals."

The longest continuous, accredited provider of substance use counselor training in the United States, the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and programmatic accreditation from the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. 

For those interested in learning more about the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, the school offers regular open houses and events.