SECTION 5: ADDICTION COUNSELING
A. ADDICTION COUNSELING
Students who are preparing to specialize as addiction counselors are expected to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to address a wide range of issues in the context of addiction counseling, treatment, and prevention programs, as well as in a more broad mental health counseling context. Counselor education programs with a specialty area in addiction counseling must document where each of the lettered standards listed below is covered in the curriculum.
- FOUNDATIONS
- history and development of addiction counseling
- theories and models of addiction related to substance use as well as behavioral and process addictions
- principles and philosophies of addiction-related self-help
- principles, models, and documentation formats of biopsychosocial case conceptualization and treatment planning
- neurological, behavioral, psychological, physical, and social effects of psychoactive substances and addictive disorders on the user and significant others
- psychological tests and assessments specific to addiction counseling
- CONTEXTUAL DIMENSIONS
- roles and settings of addiction counselors
- potential for addictive and substance use disorders to mimic and/or co-occur with a variety of medical and psychological disorders
- factors that increase the likelihood for a person, community, or group to be at risk for or resilient to psychoactive substance use disorders
- regulatory processes and substance abuse policy relative to service delivery opportunities in addiction counseling
- importance of vocation, family, social networks, and community systems in the addiction treatment and recovery process
- role of wellness and spirituality in the addiction recovery process
- culturally and developmentally relevant education programs that raise awareness and support addiction and substance abuse prevention and the recovery process
- classifications, indications, and contraindications of commonly prescribed psychopharmacological medications for appropriate medical referral and consultation
- diagnostic process, including differential diagnosis and the use of current diagnostic classification systems, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
- cultural factors relevant to addiction and addictive behavior
- professional organizations, preparation standards, and credentials relevant to the practice of addiction counseling
- legal and ethical considerations specific to addiction counseling
- record keeping, third party reimbursement, and other practice and management considerations in addiction counseling
- PRACTICE
- screening, assessment, and testing for addiction, including diagnostic interviews, mental status examination, symptom inventories, and psychoeducational and personality assessments
- assessment of biopsychosocial and spiritual history relevant to addiction
- assessment for symptoms of psychoactive substance toxicity, intoxication, and withdrawal
- techniques and interventions related to substance abuse and other addictions
- strategies for reducing the persisting negative effects of substance use, abuse, dependence, and addictive disorders
- strategies for helping clients identify the effects of addiction on life problems and the effects of continued harmful use or abuse, and the benefits of a life without addiction
- evaluating and identifying individualized strategies and treatment modalities relative to clients’ stage of dependence, change, or recovery
- strategies for interfacing with the legal system and working with court referred clients