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Russian counselors visit SRU
The Online Rocket (Slippery Rock, PA)
Posted on September 30, 2005
By Brittany Cole
Five Russian substance abuse counselors visited the Slippery Rock University campus Tuesday to discuss anti-drug strategies and treatment methods with faculty members in the university's counseling and development department.
The visit was organized by William Kirker, SRU graduate and second vice president of the Russian Club, and was hosted by the Greenville Rotary. The group was brought to Western Pennsylvania by the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress, which enables emerging political and civic leaders from former Soviet countries to work with their American counterparts.
The counselors were Viktoriya Mushnikova, deputy director of Dialogue Counseling Center; Aleksandr Balykov, chairperson for "No to Alcoholism & Drug Addiction: All Russian Charity Foundation;" Yelena Belevich, chairperson for the social work development department at the British Charity Foundation in Saint Petersburg; Natalya Lebedeva, dean of the medical college of Yaroslavl Mundry State University in Novgorod; and Taisaya Novikova, director of the Euromed Clinic.
"We are pleased to have these international experts coming to campus," SRU President Robert Smith said. "Globalism is a priority at Slippery Rock University. We want our students to graduate with a broad understanding of the world. Any exchange of information on the important topic of substance abuse prevention will produce growth for all involved."
One of the main objectives of the counselors' visit to SRU was to find out how substance abuse counselors are trained here in the United States, compared to Russia, said Gerard Love, associate professor of counseling and development.
"There is a little bit of a disconnection between the United States and Russia since the control of the Soviet Union," Love said. "Russian mental health professionals now have easier access to the West and are trying to soak up as much as they can about our training models and our current clinical practices."
Slippery Rock offers a three-year master's degree program in addiction counseling, with Love as the department's chairperson and coordinator. The program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
Love spent two hours with the counselors, giving them an overview of the master's program and a tour of the training facility and counseling laboratory.
The training facility was recently re-fitted with closed circuit television in five therapy rooms and two observation rooms, and wireless interruptible fold back, or "bug-in-the-ear" technology.
As the counselors were guided through the training center, they were excited and even offered suggestions. Love said the facility and new technology really impressed the counselors.
[Reprinted with Permission]
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