| Addiction has been conceptualized in various ways throughout history, leading to
ongoing debates about its definition and the most effective approaches to treatment. While
healthcare professionals and paraprofessionals have long been involved in addiction treatment,
there remains a lack of consensus on the best practices for addressing addiction and training of
professionals in this area. Although addiction-specific standards have been integrated into
counseling programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related
Educational Programs (CACREP) since 2009, the latest change of CACREP standards in 2024
has removed addiction standards from all non-addiction specialty tracks. This removal may
exacerbate existing concerns regarding students’ perceived lack of readiness and self -efficacy in
working with individuals struggling with substance use disorders and addictions, as reported in
previous research and academic literature (Astramovich & Hoskins, 2013; Chasek et al., 2012;
Goluboviv et al., 2021; Kerwin et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to
address this gap by exploring experts' perspectives on the importance of specific elements within
addiction education and training, to best inform future CACREP curriculum and development of
counselors-in-training (CIT). The research question: “How do experts within the addiction field
rank the importance of knowledge, skills, and awareness necessary for adequate addiction
training and best practices?”. The study employed a mixed methods approach called Q
methodology to analyze the data collected. Through open-ended questionnaires, experts in the
field of addiction provided their insights on the most important to most unimportant knowledge,
skills, and awareness needed to adequately prepare CITs to work with clients experiencing
addiction and addiction related concerns.
Keywords: Addiction, Healthcare providers, Addiction Education, Addiction Treatment |