By Dennis Miller, BHC Senior Writer at www.BehavioralHealthCentral.com

Multi-talented recording artist and actress Beyoncé is lending her name to a New York treatment center’s vocational training program for cosmetology. The Beyoncé Consmetology Center joins an impressive array of existing vocational training centers that are an integral part of Phoenix House’s unique approach to drug and alcohol treatment. Phoenix House is the nation’s leading non-profit provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services, serving more than 7,000 men, women and teens at more than 120 programs in 10 states. 

Beyonce first became involved with Phoenix House while she was preparing for her role as former heroin addict Etta James in the 2008 feature film Cadillac Records. As part of her research, Beyoncé met with women in treatment at the Career Academy. Inspired by the stories of addiction and recovery she heard, she later donated her salary from the film to the center. The next year, she and her mother and business partner, fashion designer Tina Knowles, who owned a popular hair salon in Houston when Beyoncé was growing up, proposed starting a cosmetology program alongside Phoenix House’s existing vocational training programs, which help prepare former addicts for productive careers.

“We were thrilled when Beyoncé and her mother Tina approached us about creating a cosmetology center for our clients,” says Howard Meitiner, Phoenix House President and CEO. “Their generosity and compassion toward the men and women we serve is extraordinary. With this tremendous gift, they have given our clients a route to achieve successful, rewarding lives in recovery.”

The Phoenix House Career Academy is located in Brooklyn, New York, and is a residential treatment program combined with a fully equipped, on-site vocational training center. The new Beyoncé Cosmetology Center will offer a seven-month cosmetology training course for adult men and women. And because Beyoncé is also a spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris, the cosmetics maker has agreed to provide all of the makeup, skin care, and hair care products necessary for the training program.

The Beyoncé Cosmetology Center’s training program is designed to teach students all the theory and practical skills needed to pass New York State’s Cosmetology Licensure Exam.
For information, visit www.phoenixhouse.org.

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