A Bermudian addiction counsellor in training has hopes of one day enhancing substance abuse services here.

Mychel Jones is being helped on her journey by The Duperreault Fellowship endowment fund.

The $64,000 award will fund her bachelor of science degree in psychology addictions offered online by Walden University.

She works with the Salvation Army Harbour Light programme having worked at the Nelson Bascome Centre for Substance Abuse Treatment from 2015 to 2019.

Ms Jones told The Royal Gazette: “I definitely want to ultimately create new addiction programmes that provide support as well as enhance what already exists.

“I am so grateful to be chosen. I think that this is my moment, my time.

“I believe that the professional experience allowed me to gauge my commitment to the field and allowed me to decide to pursue that.

“I have a very wide range of community experience, mainly grass roots including Gina Spence Productions — my mother’s charity.”

The Duperreault Scholarship is available to anyone interested in helping people affected by substance abuse.

It aims to ensure that professionals in the field are well trained and educated to provide the high quality of services that Bermuda’s community needs.

Ms Jones, a graduate of CedarBridge Academy, has a certificate in addictions counselling from the Addictions Training Institute.

She has also participated in a number of addiction workshops offered by the Department of National Drug Control.

“Just seeing the need in Bermuda made me want to pursue this field.

“My professional experience has allowed me to identify the need for professionals to address this challenge in our community.

“It is a community that needs more support in this area and the scholarship allows that and guarantees there is constantly opportunity for those to be well trained to provide support.

“Because of the density of our population and stigma behind addiction people can be afraid of getting help.

“We want to ensure that people find hope and that they know that no opportunity will be taken away from them.”

Katherine Watson, the Duperreault Fellowship chairwoman, said: “During Mychel’s interview, our committee members were impressed by her broad understanding of the complexity of addiction and the importance of understanding trauma, family dynamics, modes of therapy and working within cultural and societal norms in our small community.”

The Duperreault Fellowship was established in 2004 when a $500,000 donation contributed by insurance industry veteran Brian Duperreault and his wife, Nancy, was supported by a $1 million donation from The Ace Foundation, now the Chubb Charitable Foundation.

• For more information about The Duperreault Fellowship visit: duperreaultfellowship.org