The chosen competency is selecting and using a “comprehensive assessment process that is sensitive to age, gender, racial and ethnic culture, and disabilities” (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2006, p. 46). The knowledge pertaining to this competency includes test validity and reliability, validated assessment instruments, appropriate use of instruments, life areas to be evaluated, and the influence of various personal factors on instrument validity and appropriateness (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2006). It means that an addiction counselor should be aware of a wide range of assessment instruments and their advantages and limitations to choose the most appropriate for a particular patient and purpose. For example, a counselor can use the instrument of addiction severity index to identify the severity of the patient’s disorder, which is necessary to craft a customized treatment plan. A counselor should also be aware of the effects of personal characteristics on the effectiveness of a particular instrument. For example, a competent counselor would not use the CAGE questionnaire for women because it is not gender-specific and can provide false-negative results in females.
While counselors should possess knowledge of various assessment instruments, they should also have the skill of implementing these instruments and protocols in practice. For example, it is not enough for counselors to know various types of structured interviews for patient assessment; they should also be able to conduct these interviews in a manner that is respectful and allows for eliciting the necessary information from the patient. Further, counselors should have appropriate skills to explain the assessment procedure to the patient and collect relevant information from the patient and other sources. This is necessary to establish rapport between the counselor and the patient and retrieve all the data necessary to design a customized treatment plan.
In terms of attitudes, counselors should realize the limitation of assessment instruments and their interpretation and be willing to use additional specialized assessments (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2006). Adopting these attitudes means that counselors on one assessment instrument in the counseling practice. Instead, he/she chooses the instrument appropriate for a particular case and uses additional specialized instruments to validate and supplement the results of the initial assessment. For example, after assessing the patient’s substance abuse severity, a counselor may perform the psychiatric research interview for substance and mental disorders (PRISM) to identify any psychiatric comorbidities aggravating the patient’s substance abuse.
Reference
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2006). Addiction counseling competencies: The knowledge, skills, and attitudes of professional practice. Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) Series 21. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 15-4171. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.