By Matters India Reporter

Mangaluru, Jan 20, 2024: Suman Pinto, an addiction counsellor with nearly three decades of service, was awarded the “Person of the Year, 2023” by the Link Association.

The association, a pioneering group in addiction recovery services in coastal Karnataka, has instituted the award in collaboration with Ecolink Institute of Well-being, global trainers of addiction professionals.

The award was given at a function on January 13 during the association’s annual assembly.

Suman, who did her Masters in Social Work from Roshni Nilaya in 1995, currently works as the director of the addiction treatment center at Dr. Tunga’s Manaswini Hospital, Arkula on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

She started her career as a counselor in addiction recovery at Link Integrated rehabilitation center, who went on to serve in other prestigious institutions in Mangaluru under renowned psychiatrists in Father Mullers hospital, K S Hegde Medical Academy and Prajna Counselling Centre.

With her nearly three decades of experience in addiction therapy and as a counsellor in K S Hegde Medical Academy, Suman has played significant roles in developing the addiction treatment program at the medical college and served the community-based deaddiction camps by the Dharmasthala for over a decade.

As a researcher under the K S Hegde Hospital, she assisted a study on treatment outcomes under institutional treatment of addiction versus community-based approaches.

Recently, she did her international Certificate Course on Universal Treatment Curriculum on Substance Use Disorder, a global syllabus imparted by the Ecolink International Institute and serves as a resource person, researcher, and student’s guide. She has done hundreds of awareness programs on Substance use Disorder for various target groups in Karnataka.

Vivek Vincent Pais, the president of the Link Association, said that Suman was selected by the committee for her commitment and professional services in addiction recovery for nearly three decades. “She is an authority in counselling and psychotherapy for addicted patients.” he said.

Thomas Scaria, director of the Ecolink Institute, said he knew Suman as an “excellent counsellor and therapist who has helped thousands of persons recovering from alcohol or drug use disorder to lead happy life today.”