Announcing Online Classes!
Here The Academy for Addiction Professionals, we are very proud to have harnessed the latest in technology to offer our prospective students the ability to take their addiction classes online. As our Academy has grown by leaps and bounds, we have supplemented our Monday and Wednesday classes with Tuesday and Thursday classes to allow for a fast-track to certification and to reduce our class size.
After some research, we also determined that offering online classes will not only help certain classroom students learn the material at their own pace, but can also help those from out of the area and even out-of-state. Distance students can take the coursework for their Florida or home-state addiction professional certification.
For those in other states, who are interested in taking a course at The Academy, we suggest they contact their local certification board to understand the requirements of their state’s certification. This will make their experience with The Academy much more fruitful. Some states allow the entire certification to be taken online, while other states may limit the number of credits that can be taken through the Internet. Each state has some rules and regulations, so be sure to check before taking one of our classes.
No matter which course you take, know that we offer comprehensive classes to give you the knowledge that you need to effectively take your certification exam. We look forward to welcoming you to the Academy for Addiction Professionals family of successful students and will see you online soon!
Tuesday and Thursday Classes
We are very proud to announce the addition of Tuesday and Thursday classes to our original roster of Monday and Wednesday classes for classroom-based learning toward certification. With the exceptional growth that the Academy for Addiction Professionals has experienced over the past several years, we have found the need to expand the second course track in order to fulfill our commitment to keeping class sizes small enough that each student receives the attention they need. Further, adding a second set of two classes per week allows our students to fast track their coursework on their way to becoming an addiction professional.
While traditionally our course lasted 14 months as a part-time curriculum, with the addition of these new classes, students can get their coursework completed in as little as seven months.
We look forward to seeing you at our new classes and should you wish to accelerate your coursework please contact Shira to learn more about taking both Monday and Wednesday and Tuesday and Thursday classes.
Check out our course schedule
Are You a Food Addict?
By Dr. Muhammad Feteiha, Bariatric Surgeon
If you are obese or morbidly obese you may be wondering if you are a food addict. Addiction to food has become more common, especially with people’s hectic lifestyles and the availability of cheap, large portioned food in restaurants. Increases in high fat and high sugar foods in our grocery stores and restaurants have only worsened the problem. Food addiction is a serious problem that must be treated much in the same way as other addictions including drugs, alcohol or gambling. Addiction can be, at very least, disruptive both physically and emotionally and in certain cases can cause long-term physical and emotional damage.
Join Us for a Night of Comedy
The Academy for Addiction Professionals and Destination Hope are very proud to introduce a night of comedy with Mark Lundholm on Saturday February 18, 2012.
Mark has performed in every state, overseas and on Comedy Central, NBC, CBS, Showtime and A&E. His life’s work is as funny as it is inspirational and he regularly performs and speaks to diverse groups including Fortune 500 companies and heads of state as well as recovering addicts and convicted felons. His one-man off-Broadway show: Addiction was an instant hit. For 2012, Mark will have introduced a new DVD and book and his new endeavors aren’t slowing down any time soon. We are sure that you will enjoy this night of fun with the staff of Destination Hope and the Academy for Addiction Professionals
Please RSVP to our event by February 18th. Tickets are $25. You can also contact us to get your tickets by phone.
The performance will take place at the Miniaci Theatre at Nova Southeaste
We look forward to seeing you there!!
The Importance of Boundaries in Addiction Treatment
Boundaries in addiction treatment are an essential part of the client counselor relationship. In fact, they protect both the client and the counselor and they remain intact even during the inevitable ups and downs of addiction counseling. Boundaries are important because they:
- Reduce the chance of the exploitation (intentional or unintentional) of a client
- Create a definitive role for both the client and the counselor
- Create a framework of rules under which counseling can continue
- Offer a role-model for the client
Addiction Test & Exam Taking Strategies
Tests are stressful and we’re often asked how to do well on an upcoming quiz or exam. After all, our students take tests both during class and once they complete our classes. They continue on to take tests administered by the various certification boards around the country. Is there a secret to taking tests? Not really. Rather, the importance is in how you prepare. And it’s mostly common sense that in most cases would come easily to us. But the stress of the looming exam gets in the way. Those who believe they are bad test takers may take some comfort in knowing that taking a test the right way, may overcome that fear of failure.
Difficulties in Treating HIV in Drug Users
The difficulty in treating HIV and AIDS in drug abusers lies partly in the fact that many of these abusers are not actively seeking treatment in licensed facilities that can treat the co-occurring disorders. Oftentimes, even medically trained physicians are not able to properly diagnose a substance abuse problem. This allows the addiction to continue undetected.
Further, proximity to care and willingness to receive treatment is a major hurdle in treating HIV and AIDS. Because most drug abusers who have contracted HIV are Injected Drug Users, they tend to be found in areas with less access to treatment facilities and hospitalization services. Traditionally, outreach to these groups has been very difficult and communities and treatment centers must figure out how to reach these people effectively to effect significant change. Continue reading
Addicition Transfer after Weight Loss Surgery
By Dr. Jefferson Vaughan, Bariatric Surgeon
Food addiction is real. Just as our bodies can become dependent on “traditionally addictive” substances, so too do our bodies crave and need sugar and fat. Uncontrolled urges lead to overeating and a vicious cycle ensues – often developing into obesity. As a result of this trend in the modern American’s lifestyle, obesity has, by any account, become an epidemic in the United States with a significant majority of the population suffering from obesity or overweight issues.
There are many treatments for obesity, with varying degrees of effectiveness, including:
- Traditional Diet and Exercise
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss Programs
- Pills and Medication
- Counseling and Hypnotherapy
- Bariatric Surgery (Weight Loss Surgery)
The most effective of these treatments, though not the least invasive, has been shown to be bariatric surgery. On average, patients lose about 75% of their excess body weight and keep it off for 5 years or longer (individual results vary of course). Other treatments have more mixed results at best, although there is no one size fits all approach to obesity. Continue reading
Best Practices for Self Disclosure
Many people who work in the addictions field often have personal experience in substance abuse or addiction. While it may seem therapeutic to share these experiences, it is important, if you are in recovery, to keep your work separate from personal recovery. The Florida Certification Study Guide states, “While occasional appropriate self-disclosure can help the client to open up or motivate the client by providing a role model, too much self-disclosure removes the focus from the client’s own recovery.”
It is imperative that a counselor is aware of how their own issues may be stirred by a client’s problems. Refrain from bringing the context of the counselor’s own personal issues into the therapeutic relationship. For example, the addiction counselor must not rigidly adhere to the opinion of insisting that their experience on their road to recovery is the only acceptable path to recovery. In general, projection of the counselor’s own experiences onto that of the client’s situation can be damaging or, at least, counterproductive. Continue reading
Ben Brafman Featured in Trade Newsletter
Ben Brafman, the head of the Academy for Addiction Professionals was featured in the latest issue of the online newsletter “Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly.” As a pioneer in gender specific treatment and a leader in men’s addiction issues, Ben’s expertise has been sought far and wide. In this month’s issue, Ben discussed the hurdles associated with starting a treatment facility in the saturated South Florida market. He also offers some insight into how the economy has affected payment structures and what a facility needs to do to stay afloat in today’s harsh cash pay environment.
We can see that the addiction treatment landscape is changing all around us and it is imperative that we adapt to make sure that our centers remain relevant. It is for this reason that we suggest that all addiction counselors, and those wishing to become counselors, take the time to read trade magazines and news and stay abreast of the ever-changing industry in which we work.