Ellen Vaughan, associate professor at the IU School of Education, created the master’s track through the school's Mental Health Counseling and Counselor Education program. Part of IU's Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge, the track offers an evidence-based curriculum on substance use disorder spanning prevalence, prevention, assessment and treatment.

The need, Vaughan said, is dire. In fact, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration workforce projections, demand for addiction counselors is expected to increase by 21 percent through 2030, while the supply of these practitioners is expected to rise just six percent. Indiana has fewer than 20 addictions counselors per 1,000 adults with a substance use disorder, leaving the state well below the national average of 32.

Read more about the addictions track – and the way it’s making an impact – at IU Research.