Credentialing Requirements of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselors; MaryLouise Kerwin, Ph.D. States are more likely to require mental health counselors to obtain training through formal education than substance abuse counselors according to this survey of 50 state governments and the District of Columbia. Compared to training and credentialing requirements for mental health counselors, states were more likely to allow substance abuse counselors learn on-the-job through “apprentice” programs and less likely to require certification or licensure. States also required fewer hours of formal coursework and practicum courses for substance abuse counselors, more hours of supervised work experience, and lower educational requirements. View Publication.

A Behavioral Model for Maintenance of Drug Abstinence; Kimberly Kirby, Ph.D.
This NIDA-funded study is testing the hypothesis that extended periods of abstinence are required before naturally-occurring reinforcers of positive health behavior are sufficiently developed to sustain behavior change. The study involves cocaine abusing subjects from a community methadone maintenance program assigned to 1) a standard schedule of contingency management involving a 12-week escalating schedule of reinforcement (vouchers redeemed for goods and services) for providing cocaine-negative urine specimens followed by a 12-week aftercare phase, or 2) an extended 36-week escalating schedule of reinforcement followed by a 12-week aftercare phase. Interim analysis suggests that participants in both groups reduce their cocaine use during the escalating schedule, but those receiving the standard 12-week escalating schedule quickly relapse to initial levels of cocaine use during the aftercare phase. Aftercare phase data are not yet available for the extended group.