Joliet Junior College addictions counseling program a life-changer for students, community

Thanks to a suggestion from a family friend, this fall – for the very first time – Nicholas Beckwith enrolled in college.

At 35 years old, Beckwith is enrolled in the brand-new addictions counseling program at Joliet Junior College.

For Beckwith, the campus of JJC is a far cry from the streets of Las Vegas or a federal prison in Colorado –both places he has spent time.

“I am still in shock every day that someone with my background would have the opportunities that I have,” he said. “I am so blessed. I am no stranger to adversity.”

The addictions counseling program was added to JJC’s list of more than 180 degrees and certificates with a goal of equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed for a career in addiction treatment.

The JJC addictions counseling program covers substance use and emerging areas of concern in addiction counseling such as gambling, social media, eating and shopping addictions.

Growing up in Florida, Beckwith experienced physical and mental abuse and spent time in foster care.

He concedes that he began to “get into trouble” at only 11 years old, resulting in two stints in a juvenile program by the time he was 14.

Beckwith also went to prison in Florida at age 18. He said he was “a very young age to be introduced to such a violent culture.”

After prison, he first became involved with drugs including methamphetamine, something he said he now thinks he did to alleviate some of the “trauma that I witnessed and experienced.”

Beckwith also landed in federal prison because of weapons trafficking and, after moving to Colorado, he once again landed in prison.

Upon his release, he got a studio apartment and appeared to be on a path to sobriety. However, he began using methamphetamine again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is the cheapest and most available drug,” he said.

Struggling with several mental health issues, Beckwith was headed back to his dad in Illinois but missed a flight connection in Las Vegas.

He then spent two months homeless on the Las Vega streets – a time, he said, “was one of the most frightening experiences” and led to a parole violation.

Detained by the police, he found himself in a Las Vegas jail.

“I told myself, ‘I just can’t do this anymore,’” Beckwith said. “‘It has destroyed my life in the shortest amount of time.’”

This time, Beckwith began to pivot his life.

Once he returned to federal prison, he developed two programs for his fellow inmates: one about military history and another program about gaining employment skills.

Released from prison a year ago, Beckwith said that even though he has moments of self-doubt, he is committed to moving forward.

Once he completes his addictions counseling associate degree at JJC, he aspires to continue through the educational process as far as it can take him, with a commitment to helping others along the way, focusing on the issues of incarcerated individuals.

Degree with real-life applications

Already well on her way to receiving her associate degree in human services, Coal City’s Mariah Feeney decided to add the addictions counseling program to her degrees from JJC.

After starting at JJC with a goal of getting her general education requirements out of the way, Feeney found herself, quite literally, after completing an internship with River Walk Homes, an affordable housing development formerly known as Evergreen Terrace Apartments in Joliet.

This led Feeney to change her coursework to focus on social work.

Switching her degree to human services, Feeney opted to stay on at River Walk Homes to help with a relocation project while also earning her degree in addictions counseling.

In her job, Feeney is a case manager who works with unhoused individuals, helping them secure housing, jobs and transportation.

Growing up in rural Iowa, Feeney said she wants to be part of something she wished was available to her when she was young.

“This way, I can still be in school but also serve the community,” she said.

After JJC, Feeney hopes to enroll in a nearby four-year university that offers an accelerated master’s program.

Filling a community need

According to statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2023, almost 17.1% or 48.5 million individuals in the U.S. had a substance use disorder.

With the addition of the addictions counseling program, “now people in our district who want to be trained to help individuals in our community can do it right here,” said Heidi Munsey, JJC’s human services program coordinator.

She added that there is an 11.5% projected increase in need for social and human services assistants in the JJC district over the next decade.

The associate degree accounts for 1,000 of the 4,000 supervised work hours needed to take the certified alcohol and other drug counselor exam, she said.

“This really shaves off some of that required time,” Munsey said.

She suggested that students who want to begin in the spring semester should apply to the college now and complete their 2024-25 FAFSA.

Spring 2025 general registration begins Monday, Oct. 14. More information about JJC’s addictions counseling program is available online at jjc.edu.