Addiction Exchange
News from the worlds of research and clinical practice
Volume 3, No. 9: Treating Offenders with Substance Related Disorders: Developing Competency in Two Arenas
June 5, 2001

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Funded by Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA

Welcome to Addiction Exchange, a forum for the exchange of clinical practice and research information among clinicians, scientists, educators, and administrators in the area of addiction. Today’s topic is "Treating Offenders with Substance Related Disorders: Developing Competency in Two Arenas" by guest author Scott Reiner of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. As the relationship between the criminal behavior and substance use disorders has been increasingly well established by both empirical research and practical experience, the need for effective interventions has become clear. Substance abuse treatment and criminal justice professionals recognize that there are unique aspects to intervening with the offender with substance related disorders that are distinct and apart from intervening with individuals not involved in the criminal justice system.
The addictions counseling field has a strong history of “competency-based” practice; that is, defining a practitioner’s qualifications through his or her demonstration of clearly defined knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes (KSAs). These KSAs are typically identified through a process known as a “role delineation study” in which experienced practitioners serve as key informants to describe the areas necessary for effective practice. This input is then translated through a structured analysis to arrive at a series of “domains of practice” - broad areas of content necessary for the counselor and then a corresponding set of KSAs within each domain. The work of CSAT’s Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC) in developing Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice represents the most recent, and probably most comprehensive definition of the practice of addictions counseling.
In recognition of the unique aspects of treating offenders with substance related disorders, many professionals arrived at the point where they believed that a distinct set of competencies for working with this population should be defined. If this could be accomplished, methods for developing and measuring the competency of practitioners could then follow. Professional organizations, such as the Certification Board for Addiction Professionals of Florida (CBAPF), had already begun this effort. In early 1997, under the leadership of CBAPF, a formal role delineation study was conducted to determine the primary tasks performed by entry-level addictions professionals working with criminal justice populations. The study provided a comprehensive analysis of the work performed by these professionals, which was then reviewed and validated by a representative sample of certified addictions professionals across the country (CBAPF, 1998).
The study generated a list of six key domains of practice along with a series of tasks, knowledge and skill statements for each domain. These domains will now be described with particular focus on the unique aspects related to criminal justice settings and clients.

v Dynamics of Addiction and Criminal Behavior: Includes understanding and application of theories of the initiation, maintenance and cessation of patterns of criminal behavior.
v Legal, Ethical, and Professional Responsibility: Addresses the issues related to individuals being under criminal justice supervision such as limitations in client rights, the application of federal confidentiality requirements, the consequences of non-compliance with treatment, and personal biases that may emerge in working with offenders or certain types of offenders.
v Criminal Justice System and Processes: Overview of the criminal justice system including the roles of various participants, the continuum of involvement (e.g., arrest to incarceration) and criminal justice settings, theories underlying various criminal justice system interventions (e.g., deterrence, punishment, rehabilitation), and models of addictions treatment specific to criminal justice settings and clients.
v Screening, Intake, and Assessment: Aspects of these clinical activities such as the interrelationship between drug use, addiction and criminal behavior, criminal justice system data sources, developing case plans that reflect the client’s criminal justice status.
v Case Management, Monitoring, and Client Supervision: Case management approaches that integrate addiction treatment with criminal justice supervision, use of the legal system to achieve desired outcomes, interdisciplinary case monitoring and supervision.
v Counseling: Providing counseling services that address goals of reducing/eliminating both drug use and illegal behavior; addressing specific challenges in counseling clients under criminal justice supervision (e.g., required reporting of substance use and its impact on client self-disclosure).

Based on these six domains and the accompanying task statements and knowledge and skill areas, CBAPF has developed an examination and a set of educational and experience requirements for practitioners wishing to become credentialed as a National Criminal Justice Alcohol and Drug Professional. This is one way in which professionals can demonstrate their competence in this challenging area of practice. With changes in health care funding streams for addictions treatment and the growth of treatment programs specifically within criminal justice settings or with criminal justice involved clients, practitioners may want to seriously consider increasing their competence in this area. The domains described in this edition of the Addiction Exchange can serve as guidelines for that effort.
Resources:
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (1998). Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice. Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) 21. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (http://www.treatment.org/taps/tap21/TAP21Toc.html)
Certification Board for Addiction Professionals of Florida. (1998). National Role Delineation Study for Addictions Professionals Working in a Criminal Justice Setting. Tallahassee, FL: CBAPF. (http://www.cbapf.org)

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Mid-Atlantic Addiction Technology Transfer Center
Funded by Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
mid-attc@mindspring.com
http://www.mid-attc.org
804-828-9910