Saint Peter Public Schools

Saint Peter High School recently announced the hiring of Michael Davis as the school’s licensed drug and alcohol counselor. 

Davis is currently employed with Nicollet County Health and Human Services as a Chemical Use Assessor/Case Manager, and Saint Peter Public Schools contracts with the county to secure Davis’s services to work with students in grades 9-12 and at Rock Bend ALC. 

The following is a Q&A profile of Davis as he recently began working with SPHS:

What is your educational background? (college/post-secondary schools, high school attended, certifications earned, etc.) - I grew up in Mankato and graduated from Mankato East High School.  I then attended Minnesota State University-Mankato, where I graduated with my Bachelors of Science with a Major in Alcohol and Drug Studies and a Minor in Psychology, and I also wrestled for the Mavericks for a couple of years.  I completed an internship with House of Hope in Mankato and passed the state exam to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).  I have since completed the training course and have been certified to complete Clinical Supervision which changed my title to LADC-S.

Previous work experience in this field? I completed a six-month internship (880 hours were required) with House of Hope in Mankato, a medium intensity residential treatment program for people with substance use and mental health disorders.  I was hired by House of Hope after completing an internship and worked there for seven years.  I was then hired by Nicollet County Health and Human Services in September of 2019 as a Chemical Use Assessor/Case Manager, where I continue to work today.

What age groups (grade/schools) will you be working with here at SPPS? At this time, I will be meeting with high school students at both SPHS and Rock Bend.

What are you looking forward to most about working at SPPS? I am most looking forward to connecting with those students who do struggle with chemical use and hopefully make an impact with them to seek help and work towards positive change. 

What goals/expectations do you have coming into this position? A major goal is to provide some substance use prevention education and reach more adolescents who are struggling.  Many students struggle with chemical use, but for a number of different reasons, they go without aid, and their use typically only progresses down a worse path.