Looking Back, Looking Forward
There Were Several Key Achievements Last Year and NAADAC Looks Forward to More in 2009
Donovan Kuehn
NAADAC Director of Operations and Outreach
No one could have predicted the tumultuous year that just passed, but 2008 will stand out as a year that included positive developments for those in the addiction profession.
NAADAC’s leadership and staff traveled throughout the nation, working on the association’s educational, professional and legislative objectives. Some of the key accomplishments are hard to forget.
Mental Health Parity and the Second Chance Act
Thanks to legislation passed by Congress last year, over a third of all Americans will soon receive better insurance coverage for addiction and mental health treatments and thousands of citizens will not be barred from opportunities because of a drug conviction in their past.
The Second Chance Act was first introduced in 2004 by Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) in response to the President’s State of the Union declaration that “America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.” NAADAC supported this legislation in testimony before Congress.
The Second Chance Act, which was passed by a 347-62 vote in the House and unanimously in the Senate, was signed into law by the President on April 9. The legislation provides grants to local and state governments and non-profits to provide a broad range of re-entry services, including a strong emphasis on addiction services. Rep. Davis and other advocates (including NAADAC) are now working to ensure that Congress provides the actual funding that the bill authorizes.
The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was included in the economic bailout bill which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in a 263-171 vote on October 3, 2008. For the first time, the law requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses.
The success of this parity law has been spearheaded by NAADAC and its members. The first discussion of this issue began in 1993 at NAADAC’s advocacy conference, where state addiction authorities and representatives from the Clinton White House discussed parity as a part of health care reforms. The passage of this legislation is the result of 15 years of dedicated advocacy by addiction professionals, their allies and the families of people with mental illness and addictive disorders. Most importantly, this legislation is a milestone in the quest for civil rights, an effort to end insurance discrimination and to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Training and Education
Recognizing the difficulties that NAADAC members, and all addiction professionals, face with slashed budgets and reduced time off for education, NAADAC has worked to make its educational offerings as accessible as possible. NAADAC certified, trained or provided continuing education credits for 2592 people in person, through the mail and online.
Looking forward to 2009, there are a number of challenges on the horizon. However, there are numerous opportunities for NAADAC and addiction professionals.
Partnering With the State of Utah
NAADAC is joining with a number of partners on the 2009 Sowing the Seeds of Recovery conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. These partners include the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, the Association of Utah Substance Abuse Professionals (AUSAP), the Mountain West Addiction Technology Transfer Center and NALGAP, The Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender & Their Allies.
The conference will be held from August 18 - 22, 2009, and will include workshops addressing prevention, safe and drug-free schools, criminal justice, addiction history, co-occurring disorders, current research and outcomes, ethics, special populations, workplace/management issues, clinical techniques, alternative therapies, faith based approaches, smoking cessation and professional development.
Education Standards
The development of national standards in the addictions academic programs throughout the United States is vital. Without a nationally recognized standard of skills and standardized content, the addiction profession will continue to be questioned as a professional group. Standardization of the academic content will more clearly define the educational process which will lead to professional recognition, reciprocity between states and higher compensation for addiction counseling services. This recognition is critical to the survival of a distinct profession of alcohol and drug counseling.
Historically, the field of alcohol and drug counseling has been slow in developing standards and competencies for the practice of alcohol and drug counseling. Throughout most of the addiction profession’s history, the work of addiction (alcohol and drug) counseling has been provided by people in recovery from their own alcohol and drug addictions. Until recently, colleges and universities have had minimal course preparation specifically in addictions. Certification in alcohol and drug counseling has slowly pushed academic programs to develop. As the client population that addiction professionals serve have become more complex, the need for higher education has become more important.
NAADAC has established an Addiction Studies and Standards Committee to:
- Develop a standardized curriculum for academic levels – from a one year addiction certificate to a Master’s level degree.
- Organize and implement a conference for addiction-focused educators to review and refine any curriculum, and
- Integrate the knowledge and content already established through earlier work through the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC), NASADAD, NAATP and other key stake holders.
Key to this process will be educators and professionals who will develop the skill standards and content for each academic level. This process will be reviewed with key stake holders for refinement and investment to ensure that students receive a consistent, reliable and quality learning experience that is applicable to their careers and advances their understanding of addiction-related issues.
Scope of Practice
Who is an addiction professional and what key skills does he or she need to have? How can you assess if a professional has had successful outcomes? How can you determine if a professional deserves a raise and praise or needs additional training? How do you know what it takes to advance your career?
Currently, there is no generally accepted ways to measure the skills of addiction professionals. NAADAC is committed to developing a clear scope of practice and career ladder, so people can assess where they currently fit, and what skills and attributes they need to advance their careers.
As it currently stands, each state determines the criteria that people must fulfill to become an addiction counselor. This system ensures that there is a mishmash of rules and doesn’t provide clarity for those in the profession, for those looking to move to another state or for people looking at starting a career.
One of NAADAC’s goals for 2009 is to build a clear scope of practice and career ladder. This scope of practice and career ladder will incorporate the principles of professional development and life-long learning, utilizing technology and the demonstration of high ethical standards.
Last year was a tumultuous time, and 2009 will also have distinct challenges. NAADAC has a clear set of goals to help ensure that the upcoming year is a good one for its members and the addiction profession.
( 0 Votes )
