Continuing Education for Addiction & Substance Abuse
Addiction and substance abuse professionals work with people who are addicted to alcohol, drugs or tobacco, and may also work with people who have eating disorders or other mental or emotional disorders related to their addictions. Because addiction and substance abuse professionals see a wide variety of individual cases, continuing education credits are often required of state licensing boards and recommended by national professional organizations to improve counselors' skills with meeting unique client needs.
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Purpose
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Addiction counselors and substance abuse professionals may need to complete continuing education for a variety of reasons, including state licensure requirements or professional certification. States maintain their own criteria for continuing education for licensed social workers and health professionals. The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) is the organization that certifies substance abuse professionals and addiction counselors on a national level. NAADAC maintains several different levels of certification, which require different levels of clinical experience and continuing education credits.
Content Areas
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Substance abuse and addiction continuing education covers content areas that include mental and emotional disorders related to substance abuse, types of therapy used with substance abusers, culturally responsive treatments for LGBT and racial minority substance abusers, family treatments and age-related topics for younger and older substance abusers.
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Format
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Many continuing education modules for substance abuse and addiction training are online courses that include online or downloadable course materials or readings. Interested professionals purchase the course, read the material and take an online examination to earn the continuing education credits. Other formats for continuing education include conferences, professional meetings, workshops, seminars and web broadcasts of live events for remote participation.
Providers
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Substance abuse and addiction training is offered from a variety of providers, including commercial continuing education organizations, nonprofit organizations and professional societies. The cost for programs may vary depending on the provider, with commercial providers charging by the course and many professional organizations providing continuing education opportunities in the cost of a membership fee. Nonprofit organizations may offer continuing education courses for a small charge or for free.
Benefits
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Continuing education credits for substance abuse professionals and addiction counselors provide professionals with the most up-to-date knowledge and strategies for dealing with key issues in the field of addiction and substance abuse treatment. Professionals may also be eligible to increase their certification level and thus become more competitive for advancement with higher levels of continuing education credits.
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References
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