Certified Addiction Counselor INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Updated: January 2016
ASPENPOINTE The AspenPointe family of organizations has provided healthcare solutions to Southern Colorado residents for over 130 years. AspenPointe offers a continuum of care to meet adult and family behavioral health needs including evidence-based practices in adult, child and family outpatient care, substance abuse treatment, integrated health care, inpatient crisis evaluation and treatment, and managed care. AspenPointe s treatment philosophy of recovery and community reintegration is reflected in services which provide vocational skills training and affirmative employment. The organizations are funded in part by the AspenPointe Foundation and also through state and federal dollars. AspenPointe is an integrated healthcare system on the cutting edge of practice. AspenPointe Health Services is a community mental health center serving three counties in Colorado: Park, El Paso, and Teller. We serve mentally ill adults and seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. Our treatment philosophy is strengths-based and solutionfocused, which incorporates principles of recovery for adults and family systems for children and adolescents. We offer a full spectrum of services from traditional in-clinic to non-traditional, client-driven community and home based treatment. AspenPointe is committed to the philosophy of recovery, an ongoing personal process of developing and achieving healthful goals despite the current presence of psychiatric illness. The mental health center s role in recovery is to provide services and care with the clients input every step of the way, thus allowing them to take an active role in their treatment. With the recovery approach, clients learn new and useful self-directed skills, reduce and/or control their symptoms, achieve a better quality of personal interactions, and find greater satisfaction as they work toward their vision of a full and meaningful life. To further our mission, we have chosen to participate in the ongoing training of new professionals by serving as an Internship site. It is our desire to support the education of others by developing a collaborative relationship with various training programs. ASPENPOINTE SUBSTANCE ABUSE RECOVERY PROGRAM The Substance Abuse Recovery Program consists of a comprehensive and structured program driven the assessed needs of each person and based on an individualized treatment plan. Group is the primary modality of treatment. Some individual sessions and case management services are available as needed to move clients forward in treatment. Families are included in the group once a week and for celebrations when their family member completes treatment. The Substance Abuse Recovery Program provides treatment based on the assessed level of need using the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria. The Enhanced Outpatient (EOP) and Outpatient (OP) groups provide intensive treatment for substance use. Treatment is based on a comprehensive assessment of bio-psycho-social needs.
The Substance Abuse Recovery Program works closely with the mental health teams at AspenPointe for any clients open for mental health and substance abuse services concurrently. A multi-disciplinary team meets weekly to staff co-occurring cases. The team consists of addiction counselors, mental health clinicians, and mental health case managers. Consultation with a psychiatrist is available as needed. The program offers treatment using group and individual therapy, case management and care coordination. All groups use the Matrix Model Outpatient Treatment, a SAMHSA evidence based treatment that includes Early Recovery Skills, Relapse Prevention Skills, Family Education Group, and Aftercare/Social Support Group. Concepts from Motivational Interviewing and Solution Focused Brief Therapy are also incorporated. Seeking Safety curriculum is also used regularly. EOP is a six-week program with six hours of group per week for a total of 36 hours of group treatment. Upon completion of the EOP program, clients move to six weeks of OP group, and then to a minimum of eight weeks in a Recovery Maintenance group. A women only group is offered one time weekly for anyone enrolled in the program appropriate for the group. Clients initially assessed as needing OP level of care attend OP group for 12 weeks followed by Recovery Maintenance for 8 weeks. Program is abstinence based. A breathalyzer test is completed in every group and random UAs are conducted. CAC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Goal, Expectations, and Clinical Proficiencies of the Internship Program The primary goal is to support the mission of AspenPointe Substance Abuse Recovery Program while providing substance use disorder treatment experience with opportunities to develop the treatment skills and knowledge of addictions. It is the expectation of AspenPointe Health Services that individuals, approved for internship placement have the training and experience required for this position. As part of the AspenPointe Substance Abuse Recovery Program, it is expected that internship staff will conduct themselves in a professional manner, complete assignments in a timely manner and know and adhere to all policies of AspenPointe. Interns at AspenPointe Health Services will maintain the highest ethical standards. Schedule Interns are required to commit to a minimum of 400 hours for the internship experience and are expected to be on-site 10 hours per week over a 10 month period. Hours will include at least some evening hours. Program groups last until 7:30 Monday through Thursday. Supervision Interns are supervised by a licensed clinician with a CAC III or LAC. Interns will receive one hour of regularly scheduled face-to-face individual supervision each week. Supervision will
focus on review of caseload, discussion of specific cases, professional development, and evaluation of training progress. Staff Meetings Interns may attend the team meetings that are required for all clinical staff. These meetings cover administrative issues, clinical information, and clinical training. Training Experience Interns will co-facilitate substance abuse groups, complete intake assessments, help with UA program management, and assist clients with case management needs. Requirements for Admission: Completion of a Bachelors degree. APPLICATION INFORMATION Enrollment in a Masters-level Counseling/Psychology or Social Work Program degree or completion of a Masters-level Counseling/Psychology or Social Work Program. Completion on all classes for CAC II. Interns must commit to complete at least 400 hours over the course of 10 months at AspenPointe. Most interns work 10-20 hours per week. AspenPointe Health Services is committed to the recruitment of culturally and ethnically diverse interns. We encourage inquiries and applications from all qualified individuals Application Materials Application Materials Include: AspenPointe CAC Internship Application. Applications can be downloaded from our website at http://www.aspenpointe.org. Two letters of references. One of the two letters preferably from someone who has observed your clinical work. Proof of completing all course work for CAC II. Mail completed application to: Cheryl Stine, LPC, CAC III Senior Manager AspenPointe Substance Abuse Recovery Program 2864 South Circle Drive, Suite 1100 Colorado Springs, CO 80906 Thank you for your interest in our internship program. Please feel free to contact
Cheryl Stine at 719 572-6277 or Cheryl.Stine@aspenpointe.org with any questions about the AspenPointe CAC Internship Program.