Counselor Educational Guide

Posted on 15. Aug, 2009 by admin in General

Preface

In order to become employed, people must demonstrate that they are employable. In the field of substance use disorder treatment this means proving that one is competent to provide counseling services. The majority of states in the United States offer a credentialing process that is used to provide state verification that individuals have demonstrated minimal qualifications; which will allow them to gain employment through the holding of the credential. Credentialing processes usually involve verification of relevant work experience and education. The work experience is commonly verified by a statement from an administrator who oversees treatment services. Education is commonly verified through the presentation of certificates or transcripts to a credentialing processing body. It is important to note that credentialing bodies are commonly associated with state run public policy oversight agencies; based on this, their primary charge is ensuring public safety and not education. Credentialing bodies commonly certify individuals and organizations to offer the relevant educational services. What I have found after nineteen years as a treatment practitioner and eleven years as a substance use disorder counselor / educator is agencies that provide work experience hours are focused on people working and not on ensuring that individuals are developing core competency. Treatment agencies are not educational institutions and supervisors are not commonly taught how to instruct. Based on this reality it is critical that those seeking to develop their competency as counselors develop a working knowledge of what supervision is and how to advocate for their educational needs. Further, my research has found that our industry does not have competency development standards. What this means is that there is no prescribed step by step process that one must follow to expand proficiency as treatment practitioners. As such, it is critical that those seeking proficiency develop an individual competency development plan.

Individuals who want to move in their growth as substance use disorder treatment practitioners are forced to seek education from minimally regulated educators. Currently the education system is laissez-faire; as it is unregulated. When any system is laissez faire, individuals who interface with the system must represent themselves, because there is no one representing their interests. It may be argued that the United States has The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) and individual states have counselor credentialing regulations. However, each of these examples involve credentialing, which represents a final benchmark that must be passed to gain a credential; but they do not illustrate a standardized educational process. It is the perspective of this writer that those looking for addiction counseling education must represent themselves.

By Philip Ward

Education is a service that is bought for the purpose of becoming educated/ competent in a specific area of study. Those who purchase these services are educational consumers and as such have associated rights and responsibilities. In summary, consumers of educational services have a right to an accurately represented, research driven, goal directed, measurable process that is presented by competent instructors. Consumers have a responsibility to know what it is that they are purchasing, why they are purchasing it, and what they need to do to meet their side of the contract. The goal is for each party to have the same expectations of the contracted activity.

This handbook is designed to provide information that will enable those who are entering or presently working in the substance use disorder treatment industry to be smart consumers of educational services.

In the substance use disorder treatment arena, education is defined as competence. Competence is defined as a demonstrated ability to effectively practice the core functions/competencies standards of addictions counselors. For additional information, review the following resources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Provides statistically- based information on the addictions counseling industry. Utilize the resource below as a means of understanding prevalent wages, educational requirements, and a basic overview of the industry http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos067.htm#emply.

Ÿ Herdman, J. (2006). Global Criteria: The 12 Core Functions of a Substance Abuse Counselor. 4th Ed.

Ÿ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2007). Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) Series 21. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 07-4171.

Ÿ The National Addiction Technology Transfer Center: Provides an overview of state specific counselor credentialing requirements http://www.nattc.org/getCertified.asp)

The Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) Series 21 outlines the “Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice”. The Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) Series 21A outlines: “Competencies for Substance Abuse Treatment Clinical Supervisors”. To develop as a competent substance use disorder counselor, one would strive to master the competencies outlined within the TAP Series 21. To develop competency one should seek appropriate mentoring and supervision and the TAP Series 21 A provides insight into supervisory processes. To obtain the entire TAP series free of charge, utilize the following resource: ncadi.samhsa.gov.

To become educated, it is helpful to understand what education is. To do this, I recommend individuals review adult learning theory, competency based education, and “Blooms Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain”. Education is not memorization and a passing score; it is demonstrated practice proficiency in daily interactions with patients and their families. Finally, it is important for a person to understand h/her individual learning style. For more on this topic, view the web resource: http://www.centeach.uiowa.edu/learningstylepreferencesmaterials.shtml.

All competent counselors have the following in common:

  • Interpersonal relational skills
  • Ability as critical thinkers
  • Empathy and dedication

Beyond competence, in the 12 Core Functions and the TAP 21 competencies, education is further defined by the elements that define any profession. All professions are defined by:

  • Ÿ A function specific jargon;
  • Ÿ A scope of practice;
  • Ÿ A canon of ethics that guides practice;
  • Ÿ A body of empirical knowledge/ research that guides practice; and
  • Ÿ A standardized/accredited educational process.
  • The treatment profession should be defined by these same criteria.

The goal:

To develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will allow you to practice as a competent addiction counselor.

What is a competent counselor?

A competent substance use disorder counselor is one who consistently demonstrates an ability to accurately apply what they have learned.

An educated person has a working knowledge of each of the above elements:

  • Ÿ They can speak the language;
  • Ÿ They know what their training allows them to do or not do;
  • Ÿ They can problem solve using the canon;
  • Ÿ They continually review relevant best practice research; and
  • Ÿ They follow a prescribed educational path

Now that we have defined what education is and identified your role as a consumer, the next step is to develop a plan on how to get the best education you can for your money!

Develop Your Educational Plan

The first step is to develop an educational plan using the following outline:

1. Envision: Develop a statement of purpose.

“My objective is to become an addiction counselor.”

2. Clarify: List the competencies that you would like to develop.

“I want to master each of the core functions and competencies.”

3. Identify: List learning resources.

“This is my list of people, places, and things that can help me in my journey toward competence.”

4. Apply: Write an action statement.

This is concretely and specifically what you will need to do to work toward your goal: To become an addictions counselor “I will have to _______.”

5. Measure: Write examples of how you would know that you were moving toward your goal.

The objective is to become a competent practitioner, not to simply follow the steps to a credential. Realize that a credential is the result of a regulatory review process and not a standardized educational process. The United States and the majority of international countries do not have a standardized/accredited addictions educational system.

Once you have a plan it is time to research programs to find the one that best fits your plan.

Each state has their own process of certifying programs to offer counseling education.

What are the state requirements that are required for individuals or entities to provide addiction- specific education and training? Does the state provide regulations that outline a credentialing process? Most state agencies have web resources that you can look up and review. When reviewing, collect and review all of the information pertaining to:

  • Training program certification processes;
  • Education and training regulations; and
  • Credentialing processes.

Is the program that you are interested in certified by the state or another legitimate accrediting body?

Note: the majority of states in the United States are members of the:

The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), which sets the international standards of practice in addiction counseling, prevention and clinical supervision through testing and credentialing of addiction professionals. www.icrcaoda.org

IC&RC boards are located in 44 states, the District of Columbia, 2 US territories, and 12 global jurisdictions. IC&RC certification boards also include those affiliated with the Indian Health Services, and the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities. Over 35,000 certified addiction professionals currently belong to IC&RC Member Boards. Based on this reality it is a good idea to see if your state is a member of the ICRC and, if so, review all of the relevant information that is presented on the ICRC web site.

Gather Information

Now that you have an idea of who oversees your program at a state level, it is a good idea to check out the program through the county governmental unit that oversees addictions services in your area..

Do your home work and be prepared before proceeding.

Gather information before making the major decision to enter into an educational contract.

Once you have identified a program check it against all of the following elements:

  • Ÿ Is the program certified by the state?
  • Ÿ Does it offer an entire competence development program or individual classes?
  • Ÿ Are there any complaints against the program or any of its staff? (You can ask the state or county)
  • Ÿ How well does the program fit with your educational plan?
  • Ÿ Is the program research based?
  • Ÿ Is the staff of the program certified/qualified educators?

Develop a list of questions and methodically process through and address each of the questions.

When you have addressed each of the questions to your satisfaction, it is time to interview the program.

Ask for review and discuss the following policies:

  • Attendance
  • Payment
  • ŸAcademic discipline/probation
  • Withdrawal and return
  • Inclement weather / course cancellation
  • Instructor continuing education/qualification
  • Record retention
  • Transfer of credit
  • Field placement
  • Confidentiality
  • Transcript
  • Cultural competence
  • American Disability Act
  • Student instructors
  • Instructor ethics
  • Student instructor communication/ interaction
  • Safety/security
  • Infection control
  • Complaint process
  • Oversight reporting requirements
  • Accreditation or oversight requirements

Ask for:

  • A sample education contract/learning contract;
  • Program mission statement;
  • Organization overview/educational philosophy;
  • Purpose statement: why the program exists;
  • List of available education resources: computers, research journals, books;
  • List of instructors and their qualifications;
  • How and how often instructors are evaluated?
  • How students are evaluated/tested?
  • How evaluations/progress reports are presented: grade written narrative, oral interview;
  • Student manual, program guidelines, procedures;
  • Course schedule;
  • Program affiliations (e.g., connection to other learning organizations, professional organizations);
  • Entrance and graduation procedures;
  • Who oversees the program and what does the oversight consists of?

Use the program-specific information to gain insight into how the program operates. Go in with a list of questions or forward your questions prior to meeting with program officials.

Consider what the program asks or requires of you. Match all of the program elements against the state regulations. If the program offers distance learning, how do they manage the above elements? Does the program’s curriculum focus on developing the counseling competencies?

When you leave the program what does the program expect that you will take with you?

Now that you have all of the information, you can make an informed decision about your educational future and let the journey begin.

Preamble:

Consumers of addictions treatment services have the right to be treated by qualified practitioners. Qualified practitioners are those who have engaged in a development process that, upon completion, certifies them as competent to practice. Research based standards are the rules that define both competence development and professional practice.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right to field-specific standardized competencies that define competence and illustrate a process for professional development.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right to clearly defined professional development processes that provide opportunities for objective assessment of requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right to be mentored by qualified addictions treatment practitioners. The term qualified indicates that they have completed a process that certifies them as competent instructors.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right to be trained within regulated academic institutions. The term regulated indicates that the programs must meet prescribed educational practice, administrative and clinical training standards. Also, that monitoring of programs is an ongoing process.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right to a career ladder that is built upon a competence continuum. A competence continuum is one that illustrates competence beginning at the novice level and ending at the master level. Competence involves educational processes, relevant experience, and a demonstration of ability.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right to an individualized development plan that considers and incorporates their relevant strengths and experiences.

All addictions treatment professionals have a right and an obligation to contribute to the evolving body of knowledge that defines the field.

Author: Philip Ward

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