Addictions Studies
"An innovative approach using technology to teach, certify, and oversee addictions counseling competencies in the classroom and in the field."
Performance Domains and Tasks
I. Assessment
Tasks:
- Using interview techniques, gather relevant information from the client in order to obtain current status and history.
- Gather and evaluate information from sources other than the client, utilizing client-consented interviews and/or written reports, to validate his/her reports and provide a more complete history.
- Observe and document psychological, social and physiological signs and symptoms of alcohol and other drug abuse and dependence in the client to make an accurate diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan.
- Determine the client's appropriateness and eligibility for admission or referral to a range of programs by assessing the match between the client's needs and program target populations and services.
- Request from the client appropriately signed releases when soliciting from or providing information to outside sources to protect client confidentiality.
- Recognizing signs and symptoms that indicate a need to refer the client for additional professional assessment services when such assessment is outside the areas of the counselor's expertise.
- Develop a written diagnostic summary based on the results of separate assessments performed by an alcohol and drug abuse counselor and/or a multi-disciplinary team including physical/chemical use/abuse history, psychological, psychiatric, social, spiritual, recreational, nutritional, educational, vocational, and/or legal information to provide an integrated approach to diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Document ongoing treatment needs identified by regular assessments performed throughout the continuum of care and negotiate adjustments to the treatment plans to assure new treatment needs are addressed.
- Formulate mutually agreed upon goals, objectives, and treatment methods based upon assessment findings of the client's strengths, weaknesses, needs and problems for the purpose of directing a course of treatment.
- Select, administer, score and interpret to clients the results of AODA assessment instruments in order to provide accurate, standardized measurements of data relating to the clients' problems.
- Explain the purpose, rationale and methods associated with the assessment process to the client to assure understanding and compliance.
II. Counseling
Tasks:
- Establish rapport and trust with client, family members and related systems by providing a safe environment in order to facilitate self-exploration, disclosure, problem-solving and interaction.
- In the initial counseling session, provide specific information to the client regarding the structure, expectations and limitations of the counseling process in order to promote a trusting relationship; and assist the client in decision-making regarding the treatment process.
- Assist the client, family members and significant others in identification, clarification and expression of feelings by teaching, modeling and interacting in order to improve relationship, self-esteem and feeling recognition.
- Provide individual therapy, using relevant and current client data with an appropriate therapeutic approach to meet the client's needs, problems, strengths and weaknesses to promote a quality recovery process.
- Provide family therapy with client and/or significant others within a conducive setting to promote individual and system growth.
- Provide group therapy by modeling, directing and facilitating developmental stages within the group in order to promote growth.
- Identify group, purpose, rules, goals and membership criteria for group members through formal and informal means to facilitate interaction and communication.
- Assist clients, family members and significant others in establishing and maintaining new behaviors or changes in behavior in order to minimize relapse through teaching, modeling and other counseling techniques.
- Intervene in life crisis situations with client or significant others in order to prevent or cope with that crisis by utilizing needed resources and identifying and teaching new skills.
- Provide care and follow-up appropriate to the client's needs after the initial phase is completed utilizing a variety of approaches.
- Assess ongoing issues and related progress with clients, family and significant others in order to promote growth through periodic review of goals and accomplishments.
- Provide current and accurate information and education to client, family members, and significant others through written materials and other educational forums in order to prevent initiation or progression of the disease of alcoholism and drug dependency.
- Acknowledge and respect cultural and life-style diversities as they relate to emotional, spiritual and physical health with all clients, family members and significant others to affirm differences through accepting attitudes and behaviors.
- Assist clients, family, and significant others in the recognition of the role of defense mechanisms (especially denial and minimization) through confrontation, teaching and eliciting feedback, in order to further the recovery process.
- Evaluate and assess through case review the effectiveness of the chosen counseling approaches and processes to ensure quality.
III. Case Management
Tasks:
- Obtain and maintain information about community resources and services by establishing contact with other service providers in order to evaluate the appropriateness of referring the client.
- Match the community resources with client needs in order to improve the effectiveness of treatment by paying particular attention to cultural and life-style characteristics of clients.
- Verbally explain to the client the necessity for referral in order to ease the transition to other service providers.
- Demonstrate proficiency in maintaining client records in accordance with prescribed standards to ensure thorough documentation.
- Consult with supervisors, counselors, professionals and/or other service providers by discussing one's own case to assure comprehensive, quality care for the client.
- Present cases to other treatment team members in order to facilitate decision making and planning by using a written or oral method.
- Assist other treatment team members by providing alternative input on their cases in order to develop comprehensive, quality care for the client.
- Verbally explain to the client the need for consultation and obtain written consent when needed in order to provide quality care.
- Provide a program overview to the client by describing goals, objectives, rules and obligations in order to agree upon mutual expectations.
- Provide education for the client about self-help groups by supplying appropriate information in order to encourage participation.
- Advocate for client's interests in targeted systems by negotiating plans in order to help resolve client's problems.
- Provide information through appropriate contacts with outside agencies in order to ensure adequate funding for services provided.
- Maintain through regular communication a network of community resources in order to enhance client's treatment.
- Ascertain client impairment by assuring utilization of appropriate laboratory tests in order to determine the course of treatment.
- Obtain evaluation through regular consultation with supervisors and peers in order to assess case management techniques.
IV. Education
Tasks:
- Provide relevant education to the client through formal and informal processes to introduce specific knowledge to support the recovery process.
- Provide relevant education to family members and significant others through formal and informal processes to introduce specific knowledge to help support the recovery process.
- Provide alcohol and drug education to schools, service clubs, business, industry and labor, media representatives, political and community leaders and other significant persons to raise awareness and enhance community support.
- Provide drug and alcohol education and information to colleagues and other professionals via lectures, discussions and meetings to enhance professional exchange of information and ensure continuum of care for the client.
V. Professional Responsibility
Tasks:
- Demonstrate ethical behaviors by adhering to established professional codes of ethics in order to maintain professional standards and safeguard the best interests of the client.
- Adhere to federal, state and agency regulations regarding alcohol and other drug abuse treatment by following appropriate procedures to protect client rights.
- Interpret and apply information from current counseling and alcohol and other drug abuse literature to improve client care and enhance professional growth.
- Recognize the importance of individual differences by gaining knowledge about personality, cultures, life-styles and other factors influencing client behavior in order to provide services that are sensitive to the uniqueness of the individual.
- Develop and utilize a range of options to explore and discuss personal feeling and concerns about clients when these concerns may be interfering with the counseling relationship.
- Conduct self-evaluations of professional performance applying ethical, legal, and professional standards to enhance self-awareness and performance by identifying strengths and limitations.
- Obtain appropriate continuing professional education by ongoing assessment of one's own training needs in order to promote professional growth.
- Assess and participate in regular supervision and consultation sessions to facilitate clinical and administrative growth.
- Develop and utilize strategies to maintain personal, physical and mental health in order to ensure professional effectiveness.
- Establish and maintain good relations with civic groups, other professionals, government entities and the community in general through open communication and supportive involvement to expand community resources.