When her academic adviser told her about the new pre-licensed alcohol and drug counselor (pre-LADC) program that would be offered at the University of Minnesota Morris, Krista Gloppen ‘25, Morris, says “the program and the job in itself spoke to me.”
Students who complete UMN Morris’s pre-LADC program are eligible and prepared to take a national exam to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. This is the only licensed mental health profession in Minnesota that a person can enter directly out of undergraduate. All other mental health licenses in the state require a graduate degree.
In May, Gloppen will be among the first cohort to graduate from UMN Morris in this program.
Gloppen’s original plan had more to do with her human services major with a criminal justice subplan.
“I was very interested in maybe like a parole officer or I even had thoughts of shadowing the victim's advocacy coordinator for Stevens County. [LADC] wasn’t on my radar at all.”
But as her adviser told her more about the program, Gloppen could see the need for licensed counselors, especially for rural areas.
“What drew me is growing up with people in my life who have lived with these addictions—people that you love and you don't know what is the appropriate help? It's not like you can take a shot and prevent it or here's the steps for every single person to get through it.”
Even the requirement for an 880-hour practicum didn’t discourage her.
“It was very long, yeah, it was. But I can see now going through it that it's necessary. Even towards the end, I felt like I could be here longer. There are so many parts to the job that it makes sense that it's that long.”
Gloppen was able to secure a paid internship at a residential men’s facility in Fergus Falls that ran from June through December 2024.
“I did group and one-on-one counseling. There was treatment planning. There was admission, paperwork, meeting new clients, and discharge. There was helping.”
And it was the helping that made the 100-mile daily round trip worthwhile.
“A rewarding part of this journey has been sharing it with my kids. My son Marshall and daughter Parker had to adjust with me. I am a non-traditional student which means I have returned to college to complete a degree I had previously started. In the early days of the COVID pandemic I was a stay-at-home mother. I transitioned to a student when my daughter started kindergarten, and this past year had me working full time hours at my practicum site. There have been a lot of adjustments but also a lot to celebrate with them along the way. My kids were able to see what hard work can lead to, but also what supporting people you love looks like. It has been a time of learning and growth for all of us and has been incredibly fun and rewarding.
“Before enrolling at UMN Morris I had worked over 10 years and had started a career. During my time working I found that the positions that brought me the most happiness were roles where I was supporting people or helping others. The path towards the LADC license has set me up for a career where I can be in a position to help others. Maybe every now and again, someone will say, ‘Oh, that counselor Krista saw me or heard me and helped.’ I just hope to be a helpful person to people.”