Cambridge College Touts Programs in Mental-health Fields

SPRINGFIELD — For the millions of Americans struggling with depression, addiction, stress, and family issues, the holidays are anything but the most wonderful time of the year. Instead, they are a time when old family rifts, unrealistic expectations, and long-simmering tensions often boil to the surface.

An article in Innovations in Clinical Psychology that looked at mental-health issues surrounding the holiday season found that, for those with mood disorders, the holidays worsen feelings of loneliness while alcohol-related fatalities increase.

While the holidays bring their own set of mental-health challenges, the need for mental-health professionals is skyrocketing all year round — particularly in the fast-growing specialty fields of addictions, marriage and family therapy, trauma, and children in schools.

The Cambridge College School of Psychology and Counseling is poised to help adult learners enter these fields and prepare individuals for the licensing and credentialing necessary to succeed in today’s mental-health careers. The college offers certificate and graduate programs available with specializations in addiction studies, marriage and family therapy, mental-health counseling, school guidance, school-adjustment counseling, and trauma studies.

The fully accredited, practitioner-centered graduate training programs place an emphasis on addressing the mental-health needs of diverse populations. The program is ideal for individuals working in community mental-health services, in-home behavioral services, rehabilitation counseling, addictions counseling, children in schools, employee assistance programs, and trauma and family counseling.

To learn more about Cambridge College and its School of Psychology and Counseling, visit www.cambridgecollege.edu or call (800) 829-4723.

The American Psychological Assoc. offers tips and techniques on how to cope with holiday stress at www.apa.org. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression this holiday season, speak to your physician or a licensed mental-health professional.