Addiction Therapists

Since the beginning of human history, people have battled addiction and/or mental health challenges, but it was not until the late 1800s and early 1900s that the mental health field as we know it today was fully and formally recognized. In 1913, Clifford Whittingham Beers established the Clifford Beers Clinic. It was the first outpatient mental health clinic in the United States. It is still operating today as the Clifford Beers Community Care Center. Beers is considered the founder of the American mental health movement.

In the 1940s and 1950s, a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of addiction and compulsive behaviors developed as a result of the large number of World War II and Korean War veterans who faced mental health challenges due to their experiences during these conflicts. Academic and medical research also helped mental health professionals better understand these issues. During this time, mental health services began to be offered through hospitals and community mental health organizations in addition to state mental hospitals. The American Counseling Association was founded in 1952. It has 19 chartered divisions, including those that focus on child and adolescent, and marriage and family, and trauma counseling. In the ensuing decades, demand for therapists and counselors increased in the traditional areas of alcohol and drug addiction, but also in emerging or expanding fields such as excessive gambling, unhealthy eating, or overuse of social media or video games. The COVID-19 pandemic, social and political unrest, poverty, racism, and other factors have created increased demand for addiction therapists.