Overview

Continuous professional development and training is critical to remaining proficient and competent in our specialization. Professional development and training events are approved for contact hours by the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association and Alcohol and Drug Certification Board of Georgia. Other applications for continuing education or core contact hours will be submitted depending on trainer credentials.

2010 Training Topics

Georgia Certified Addiction Counselor Preparation Course
Students in this class who are Certified Addiction Counselor applicants in Georgia will qualify for the basic education requirement when completing this 180-hour education program. It is designed to assist CAC students with a curriculum that will enable them to acquire and develop effective skills to work with individuals and families affected by addiction. All coursework is structured to encourage personal growth and professional development.

ASAM Patient Placement Criteria for Substance Related Disorders
This one or two-day course is designed to provide updated information for participants about patient placement criteria using national standards established by the American Society of Addiction Medicine Patient Placement Criteria 2nd edition revised (ASAM PPC-2R).

Addiction Counseling Practices
This class offers students with information to gain an understanding of counseling theory and practices, and an opportunity to enhance skills parallel with nationally recognized Addiction Counselor Practice Domains.

Drug Court Treatment – An Integrated Approach
In this course we will examine drug courts from an integrated process - the blending of treatment with legal case processing. Additional topics reviewed will include screening and assessment of adult substance abusing offenders, ethical issues for drug court practitioners, and the key components for drug and other specialty courts.

Ethics of Clinical Supervision
Addiction professionals are continuing to be faced with more diverse ethical challenges that can threaten the professional creditability and integrity of both supervisors and supervisees. Issues to be examined in this training will include problems such as transference, counter transference, dual relationships, and counselors who are being promoted to supervisory positions based on seniority rather than clinical competency.

Leadership Principles – Does the rest of the world look like a nail?
Leadership training has been a neglected part of a clinician’s professional growth particularly within the substance abuse profession. This 2-day workshop will look at effective leadership responsibilities. The participant will evaluate his or her leader traits and design an action plan.

Legal, Professional, and Ethical Responsibilities
This training offers updated information for substance abuse professionals about ethical standards and competencies necessary for the competent substance abuse treatment. Content included will help students identify the need for ethical standards, issues and traps related to counselor responsibility, and competency domains related to high quality professional practice.

Motivational Interviewing
This class is helpful for addiction counselors to gain a better understanding of the theory, concepts, and their role in the enhancing motivation and incorporating a specific change process in the clinical session based on recognized change models . Students will gain information about the skills necessary to facilitate motivational interventions that enhance the change process.