As the behavioral health landscape continues to evolve, today's counselors are increasingly called upon to address the interconnected challenges of mental health, substance use, and career development.
Erin Barnes, clinical associate professor in the University of Iowa College of Education's Department of Counselor Education, has dedicated her career to preparing future professionals for exactly this kind of work.
Building on years of experience in rehabilitation and mental health counseling, Barnes is leading the college's new graduate Certificate in Integrated Career, Substance Use, and Mental Health Counseling. The graduate certificate equips students with foundational knowledge to recognize co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, understand how these challenges affect individuals at work and in their daily lives, and connect them with evidence-based supports and resources.
For Barnes, the certificate represents more than a new academic offering. It reflects a growing need within the counseling profession to prepare practitioners who can see the whole person — not just a diagnosis —and understand how mental health, addiction, employment, and community participation are deeply connected.
Drawing on her clinical experience serving individuals experiencing homelessness, bereavement, sexual assault, vocational challenges, and other complex life circumstances, Barnes is helping shape a new generation of counselors equipped to meet today's behavioral health needs with compassion, collaboration, and evidence-based practice.
In this Q&A, Barnes shares what inspired the development of the certificate, why integrated care matters, and how preparing counselors to address these interconnected challenges can support healthier individuals, stronger communities, and a more responsive workforce.
What first drew you to rehabilitation counseling and the field of mental health?
I didn’t originally plan to become a rehabilitation counselor. After college, I worked for a nonprofit coordinating a grant that helped improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities who also had criminal histories. Working with employers, community partners, and program participants showed me how closely meaningful employment is connected to mental health, stability, and overall well-being.
As I collaborated with rehabilitation counselors, I discovered a profession I hadn’t known existed. The more I learned about rehabilitation counseling, the more I realized it aligned with the work I wanted to do. When the grant ended, I pursued a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling—and that decision shaped the rest of my career.
Throughout your career, you’ve worked with people experiencing homelessness, trauma, grief, and other complex life challenges. What have those experiences taught you about the connection between mental health, substance use, and meaningful work?
One thing I learned early in my career is that people’s lives often unfold like a domino effect. A job loss, trauma, grief, disability, or mental health concern can trigger a series of challenges, and sometimes substance use becomes part of how people cope, affecting relationships, employment, or housing.
Those experiences taught me to lead with compassion rather than judgment. Recovery rarely comes from addressing just one issue—we need to understand how the different parts of a person’s life fit together. Meaningful work can be an important part of that process, offering stability, purpose, routine, and hope, but it’s one piece of a much larger picture.
What inspired the creation of the Certificate in Integrated Career, Substance Use, and Mental Health Counseling?
Throughout my career—in correctional services, employee assistance, and organizations supporting people who had experienced trauma—I kept seeing the same pattern: mental health, substance use, and work are deeply connected.
In Iowa, nearly 74% of people who need substance use treatment aren't receiving it, and that gap highlights the need for counselors who understand the whole person. Many people I worked with described using substances to cope with difficult experiences. While that may provide temporary relief, it can also create new challenges that affect relationships, employment, and overall well-being.
Those experiences inspired this certificate. We want to prepare counselors who recognize those connections and feel equipped to provide integrated, evidence-informed care that helps people thrive in their work, families, and communities.
Why is it so important for counselors to understand co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders rather than viewing them separately?
One reason is access to care. We know many people who could benefit from substance use treatment never receive it, and stigma, along with barriers like transportation and cost, can make it even harder to get help.
When counselors are prepared to address both mental health and substance use concerns, they can provide more integrated care instead of asking people to navigate multiple systems on their own. That can make a meaningful difference, especially for individuals with complex needs.
The certificate is designed to give students that foundational preparation. For those in our clinical rehabilitation counseling and clinical mental health counseling programs, the courses also count toward their master’s degree, strengthening their ability to support the whole person.
A unique aspect of this certificate is its focus on the relationship between career and employment, mental health, and addiction. Why does meaningful work play such an important role in recovery and overall well-being?
When people struggle in one area of life, it often affects many others. Challenges with mental health or substance use can impact work, relationships, and overall well-being, which is why I believe it's important to look at the whole person.
That perspective has always been central to rehabilitation counseling. Meaningful work is about much more than a paycheck—it can provide purpose, independence, structure, and connection. Our profession also brings expertise in disability, employment, accommodations, and workplace supports that can help people remain in or return to the workforce.
When you combine that with preparation in mental health and substance use counseling, you're better equipped to help people achieve the personal, social, psychological, and vocational goals that matter most to them. To me, that's what integrated care is all about, and it's the philosophy behind this certificate.
What gaps in counselor preparation does this certificate help address?
All accredited counseling programs share a strong core foundation, but each also develops areas of specialized expertise. I see this certificate as an opportunity to provide focused preparation in an area of growing need. Rather than viewing this certificate as filling a deficiency, I see it as providing specialized preparation in an area of growing need.
Students receive specialized training in integrated mental health, substance use, and career counseling, and the certificate appears on their transcript so employers can easily recognize that expertise. The coursework also meets Iowa's educational requirements to pursue certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor, creating a clear pathway into a high-demand field while expanding the ways graduates can support clients with complex needs.
The curriculum includes emerging topics such as ethical applications of generative AI. How do you see technology shaping the future of counselor education and clinical practice?
I see AI as a tool, not a replacement for clinical judgment, ethical decision-making, or the therapeutic relationship. We should approach these technologies with both curiosity and responsibility, using them to enhance learning and practice while recognizing their limitations.
For example, our students use an AI-supported platform to practice responding to realistic client scenarios and receive immediate feedback. I encourage them to evaluate that feedback critically—not simply accept it. If they think the AI missed the mark, I want them to explain why, because learning to question AI is just as important as learning to use it.
Ultimately, I hope we continue building evidence about when AI genuinely improves learning or clinical care. Used thoughtfully, it can strengthen clinical reasoning, but it should never replace the knowledge, empathy, and ethical responsibility counselors bring to their work.
Who do you envision benefiting most from this certificate? Are there particular students or professionals you hope will be drawn to the program?
One of the things I'm most excited about is that the certificate is open to both degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students. We expect strong interest from students in our Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling program, and we also anticipate students from other counseling specialties will be interested in individual courses, particularly areas like psychopharmacology. We also hope to reach career changers, working professionals, and others who want to enter the behavioral health field without committing to a full master's degree right away.
Because the certificate consists of four online evening courses that can be taken one at a time, it offers flexibility for people balancing work, family, and other responsibilities. It also helps meet Iowa's educational requirements to pursue certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor, creating a practical pathway into a high-demand profession.
Ultimately, we hope the certificate broadens access to behavioral health education and shows people that there are flexible pathways into meaningful careers helping others.
The demand for mental health professionals continues to grow. How do you hope graduates of this certificate will help meet that need in Iowa and beyond?
Of course, we hope our graduates help strengthen the behavioral health workforce, but we also hope there is a broader ripple effect. As more people understand the connections among mental health, substance use, and employment, we hope it leads to more open conversations, reduced stigma, and earlier recognition of when people need support.
Many graduates will provide direct services, but this knowledge also has value in workplaces and organizations that are working to create healthier, more supportive environments. Professionals who understand these connections can help foster recovery-friendly spaces where people feel supported rather than judged.
Meeting workforce needs is an important goal of the certificate, but we also hope it contributes to a broader understanding of how mental health, substance use, and meaningful work are connected.
As someone who has spent years teaching future counselors, what do you hope students take away from this learning experience beyond the technical knowledge?
Beyond technical knowledge, I hope students develop the professional mindset and values that guide our work as counselors. What has always inspired me about rehabilitation counseling is thinking about who we serve, why we serve, and what we hope to accomplish in partnership with the people we support.
That requires more than learning theories or interventions—it requires understanding the complexity of people’s lives. When students recognize that mental health, substance use, employment, and community participation are interconnected, it shapes how they approach every client.
My hope is that they leave with not only new knowledge, but an integrated way of thinking—one grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and a commitment to understanding the full context of each person’s life.
Looking ahead, what do you see for the future of integrated mental health, substance use, and career counseling?
I hope this certificate helps start a broader conversation rather than simply add another credential. The connections among mental health, substance use, and career development are important, and I hope this program encourages more attention to how those areas intersect.
Ultimately, this is about more than preparing individual students. It’s about reducing barriers, strengthening the behavioral health workforce, and supporting healthier communities. If this certificate helps move that conversation forward—even in a small way—I think it will have accomplished something meaningful.