Biography
Walter Carter is an Art Therapist and Addictions counselor. In March of 1997, he joined the staff at Fairfax Outpatient, one of Alcohol and Drug Services treatment centers in Fairfax, Virginia. There he was responsible for individual and group treatment counseling, drug education, substance abuse assessments, referral recommendations, case management, administering urine assays and Alco-sensor tests, developing client treatment plans, preparing monthly client reports to ASAP (Alcohol Safety Action Program) P and P, (Probation and Parole) maintaining updated client records, participating in Peer Review and staffing meetings and conducting referrals to mental health resources. He retired in February of 2009 with the focus and intent to continue his work as a drug counselor.
Walter has a unique mixture of talents and expertise amassed over twenty five years and a variety of career experiences. This diverse personal, educational, professional and religious background is essential to the development of effective communication skills, insight, and technique in establishing effective therapeutic relationships necessary in counseling. The knowledge of chemicals and the insight of inner most feelings associated with self-destructive behaviors due to chemical addiction sets the substance abuse counselor apart from most other counselors. Seemingly, Walter has prepared himself well. .
He graduated from Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania with a B.S. degree in Art Education and taught Art at Reynolds’s Junior High School in Lancaster Pennsylvania before joining the Art Faculty at Bloomsburg University, in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in 1972. As a member of the Art Faculty he taught college courses in General Crafts and Fabric Design; taught required courses for Degree candidates in Special Education and served as a Haas Gallery attendant. These experiences, enhanced his knowledge of Art and instilled a lasting desire for excellence. In 1979 he enrolled in Art Therapy at The George Washington University and earned his Masters of Arts Degree in the spring of 1982. He worked his way through graduate school as a student Art Therapist at the Walter Reed Medical Center’s Psychiatric Outpatient operation in Washington DC. and as a classroom Art teacher in the Alexandria School system in Alexandria, Virginia. At Walter Reed Medical center he assisted professor Hanna Kwiatkowska with Family Art Therapy diagnostic assessments and evaluations of families with alcohol and substance abuse issues.
Working with Families of Alcoholics left a profound impression on Walter. He became aware that Alcoholism as well as other forms of addiction affect the entire family and the children and spouses of alcoholics suffer in ways that children and spouses of non- alcoholic families do not. The next twenty five years of Walter’s professional life was spent working in mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment or the public school classroom. This professional dedication was purpose driven and extended through the mid 1980’s and well into the 1990’s and 2000’s. In the mid 1980’s after receiving his Master’s degree his work as an Art Therapist at Capital Heights Mental Health Organization in Capital Heights, Maryland added to his experience. There he conducted individual and group Art Therapy sessions with teens and adults, mental health assessments, clinical intakes and case management. He also assisted a fellow Art Therapist, Ms. Linda Gantt, ATR at Prince Georges Hospital’s Psychiatric Ward.
In Fairfax County Public Schools, Walter taught in Middle school at Francis Scott Key and in High school at Thomas Jefferson and Hayfield. Because of drug use, the teen population in America received national attention and became the targeted population for school based drug programs. Walter studied closely youths involvement with Marijuana, and other popular drugs of the 1980’s such as Acid, Inhalants and Methamphetamine. He followed closely the work of Joyce Tobias whose work on schools and drugs was accepted by Nancy Reagan. In 1983 Joyce organized efforts to establish a comprehensive substance abuse prevention program in the public school system of Fairfax County which was adopted by First Lady Nancy Reagan as a model program for the nation. This reference to the past means only that Walter’s preparedness had its beginning at a time when drug use in America was as popular as it is now.
Today, Marijuana is more popular among American teenagers than cigarettes. In fact, according to a recent article in USA Today, more teenagers in America smoke Marijuana monthly than cigarettes. This is a serious problem for America since approximately one quarter of the American population are teenagers. This problem becomes dangerous for teen youth in America because today Marijuana is more expensive and more intoxicating. Also, the leading cause of death among teenagers in America is alcohol related auto fatalities. Alcohol is a drug. “The next generation of addicts and alcoholics will come from the halls of academia- well educated and highly cultured.” If you want to know why Substance Abuse Education is necessary, then click on this link to contact Walter and/or invite him to Speak.