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Winter 2017

www.IAODAPCA.org

SAVE THE DATE

2018 ICB Spring

Conference

March 19-23, 2018

WESTIN Hotel

Itasca, IL

Full brochure and registration will be

online

January 15, 2018

www.IAODAPCA.org

Inside this issue:

From the Desk of the ICB Executive Director

1

IC&RC Update 3

FEATURED ARTICLE Working With Families By: Mark Sanders, CADC

4

IABH Update 6

2017 Professional of the Year

7

Newly Credentialed 8

Failed to Recertify 10

Opioid Survey 11

ICB Executive Director Honored

12

The Importance of Writing Skills

By: Jason Florin

14

In Memorium 15

ICB NEWS From the Desk of ICB Executive

Director, Jessica Hayes

Welcome to the Winter Edition of the ICB Newsletter.

The last quarter has been a blur of meetings, conference

calls, ‘windshield time’ and lots and lots of talking to those

who would listen (and, some who weren’t sure they

wanted to, or needed to). The workforce is one of the first things discussed at meetings

across the State; the lack thereof, the need for competent professionals to fill

employment vacancies, and the insistence on reimbursement for the competency shown

in the special skill set of mental health and substance use disorders. There are so many

people bringing to light the wide range of skills that you, the credentialed professional,

are required to know and practice. We see you! We see the work that you do and

we’re working on your behalf to make sure that others see you for the professionals

you are!

Speaking of seeing you, it was a pleasure seeing so many faces at the 2017 Fall

Conference held at the Mt. Vernon Event Center in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. While we

missed the resort-type feel of the Rend Lake Conference Center, we had positive feed-

back on the new property and even more so, positive feedback on the event itself. We

have reserved the Event Center for the week of October 22-26, 2018; be sure to Save

The Date!

Speaking of dates, the granting of equivalency period is almost over for the Certified

Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS)! Be sure to get your application into our office by

December 31, 2017 to qualify for this credential under the granting of equivalency

period. The application and model can be found on our website under the Credentialing

tab. The CPRS is a reciprocal IC&RC credential.

Speaking of IC&RC, in October of this year I attended the IC&RC Fall Meeting. Be sure

to visit the IC&RC section of this newsletter on page 3 to read up on what the staff,

leadership and organization as a whole are doing! On a side note, elections were held at

the IC&RC Fall meeting and I am excited and honored to have been elected to serve on

the Executive Committee as the Administrators’ Representative for the next three

years. It is truly an honor to work with such dedicated individuals from 76 jurisdictions,

each and every one committed to protecting the public by ensuring the workforce is

filled with competent Behavioral Health professionals.

Speaking of professionals, we now have the ability to do email blasts to our credentialed

professionals! In order to effectively utilize this new email-tool we need to have your

correct email addresses. If you can’t remember the last time you updated your email

address with the ICB, please do so soon to avoid any interruption in information. We

have a great deal of things coming your way via email so give us a call or send an email

identifying yourself by first and last name, credential number, address and email so we

can keep you informed! . . . Continues on next page

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. . . “From the Desk of the Executive Director” continued

Speaking of keeping you informed, we’re entering into our second year of providing all ICB

credentialed professionals an individual membership with IABH (formerly IADDA). This is a free

member service provided by the ICB to help keep you informed on what is happening in the Field of

addiction. Your membership will automatically renew with your recertification period. As an individual

member of IABH, upon occasion, you may also receive information from Operation Snowball* and the

Cebrin Goodman/Teen Institute**. I extend a thank you to IABH for the work they do to inform you

so that you may lend your voice to the ever-changing Field in which we work.

And finally, speaking of work, let me thank you for the work that you have done over the past year.

Let me thank you for the countless lives you’ve touched. Let me thank you for your perseverance and

your passion. As 2017 comes to a close I ask that you: take time to truly see the benefits of the work

you do, truly hear (and let soak in) the thank yous from those in need of services (along with their

family members), and know what a blessing you are to all.

Wishing you all a joyful Season and a prosperous New Year!

*Operation Snowball is a youth and adult partnership, providing awareness and prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, while encouraging healthy decision-making in an active community of caring. **The Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute is a

five-day youth leadership conference sponsored by IABH. It is an award-winning program that offers opportunities for teens

around the state to learn about leadership, healthy choices, and working with others to create better communities.

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IC&RC Announces Updated

Clinical Supervisor (CS) Job Analysis November 06, 2017 10:49 AM | Rachel Witmer

(Administrator)

IC&RC, the world leader in addiction-related credentialing, is pleased to announce the completion of its updated Clini-

cal Supervisor Job Analysis (JA). A Job Analysis is the methodical process of determining what elements of practice

and knowledge are important to assess as part of a certification examination and it serves as the blueprint for the ex-

amination. It is the process that directly links an examination score to a specific job and ensures that an exam is valid,

reliable, and legally defensible. To stay relevant to current trends and practices, a JA must be updated every five to sev-

en years.

The first administration date for the updated examination will be February 1, 2018. All candidates tak-

ing the CS examination on or after February 1st will be taking the updated examination.

Updated Domains

The JA has resulted in some updates to the CS domains. The domain of Administration has been removed and will not

be tested as part of the CS examination. Performance evaluation has been renamed to Assessing Counselor Compe-

tencies and Performance.

2017 Domains Previous Domains

Counselor Development Counselor Development

Professional and Ethical Standards Professional and Ethical Standards

Program Development and Quality Assurance Program Development and Quality Assurance

Assessing Counselor Competencies and Performance Performance Evaluation (name change)

Treatment Knowledge Treatment Knowledge

Administration (eliminated)

The full exam content outline can be found in the Clinical Supervisor Candidate Guide found on the Exam Prep page

of IC&RC’s website at http://www.internationalcredentialing.org/examprep.

Candidates preparing to take the updated examination on or after February 1, 2018 should be sure to familiarize

themselves with the content outline and reference list on the following pages.

For more information on study materials and all IC&RC’s testing policies and procedures, please visit our examina-

tion prep page at http://www.internationalcredentialing.org/examprep.

IC&RC is proud to stay in the forefront of the ever-evolving field with the release of its updated CS Job Analysis.

In October IC&RC Fall Meeting was held in Omaha, NE. Executive Director Jessica Hayes, of the Illinois Certification Board

was elected to the Executive Committee as the Administrators Representative

IC&RC Staff and Leadership

IC&RC would not exist without the dedicated efforts of volunteers, and it continues to grow and flourish, thanks

to the vision and hard work of its volunteer leadership.

Executive Committee

David Turpin, President, Donna Johnson, Vice President, Jeff Quamme, Secretary

Mark Attanasi, Treasurer, Jessica Hayes, Administrators Representative, Kristie Schmiege, Credentialing Services

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Working With Families: The most important ingredient in Recovery! A tribute to the work of Barbara Titone, CADC

By Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC

If I didn't know better I would think that most clients seeking recovery didn't come from families. That is because compared to individual and group therapy, as a field, we do very little family work. This is in spite of the research which says that if you involve the family in treatment you can increase the person’s chance of recovery times three. This article is dedicated to Barbara Titone, CADC who spent the last several decades facilitating recovery by working with families. We received the news that Barbara died in mid October. In the 1950's the Hazelden Foundation created the Minnesota Model. This model revolutionized addictions treatment. It created the 28 day residential treatment program, multi-disciplinary treatment team, recovering counselor as a paid professional and family week. Back then, the Hazelden Foundation was so convinced that addiction was a family illness that the entire family would stay in the treatment center for a week and heal/recover together. This model was emulated throughout the country. As late as the 1980's Addictions Recovery of Chicago, a residential treatment program in Hoffman Estates, Illinois had entire families stay in the treatment center for a week. In the 1980's managed care appeared as a gatekeeper and much of the family recovery work disappeared. We are thankful to Barbara Titone, CADC for her continued focus on the family. Even when it lost its popularity in the field, Barbara did most of her family work at a hospital on the northwest side of Chicago. She provided family counseling, educated families on addictions as a family illness and facilitated family recovery. She also led groups for mothers who had adolescent and adult children seeking recovery. At a recent DASA Transition Aged Youth Committee meeting Barbara brought a number of these mothers to the meeting. She believed their voices were needed to promote addictions recovery. Each mother thanked Barbara for helping them and gave testimonies about family recovery. Their honesty and insights at the meeting were refreshing. Our field has a long history of some programs exaggerating their effectiveness and outcomes. These mothers that Barbara brought to the table, "Kept it real! Their sons and daughters lives were on the lines. They spoke eloquently about the benefits of addictions treatment and gave great suggestions on how to improve things. As a field we can learn much from the perspectives of these mothers.

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Thanks to research there are things that we now know about addiction in the family and family recovery that we did not know in the past, including: counselors are more effective in engaging families in addictions treatment than clients because the counselor has not burned any bridges with the family; if one family member accompanies the client to their first intake appointment you increase the likelihood that the entire family will participate in treatment; Interventions work!; If you work with couples, clients have fewer relapses, their relapses are often of shorter duration and clients stay engaged in treatment longer; we now have evidence based family therapy models which support recovery, including: Craft; A-CRA, Multi-dimensional Family Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy. In the 1990's the concept of Addiction as a Family Illness grew in popularity with the general public. This popularity can be traced to the success of John Bradshaw's PBS Television series on Addiction in the family, tons of bestselling books on Codependence and the Adult Children of Alcoholics Movements. As these movements decreased in popularity, there was Barbara Titone and Stella Nicholson keeping the importance of the family alive. Barbara's work was expanding prior to her death. She did family work at Presence Behavioral Health at St. Joseph's Hospital Chicago, did ICB presentations on Family Recovery, Created a model for working with families and was host of a cable TV show on family recovery.

I am writing this article to encourage us (CADCs) to continue Barbara's work! Will you: start leading a multiple family group? Help break the inter-generational cycle of addiction by working with children? Establish an ALANON meeting at your agency so families can recover? Work hard to involve the family in treatment?

The possibilities are endless and the clients and their

families deserve it.

Barbara Dehart-Titone March 28, 1951– October 15, 2017

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www.IAODAPCA.org

Spring Session Around the Corner

The General Assembly will return to Springfield in January to

start the Spring 2018 Legislative Session. The House will

convene on January 23rd while the Senate will start their legislative year on January 30th. While

lawmakers will deal with hundreds of new bills, several issues will dominate the legislative session from

the moment it starts until it ends on the projected date of May 31st.

1. The Governor’s race will impact almost every decision and issue during the Session. As Governor

Rauner begins his re-election bid, and those who want to replace him begin theirs campaigns to replace

him, everyone will be watching how decisions are being made (or not being made), how will those

decisions play in the media and be viewed by voters. From what the Governor proposes in terms of a

new budget to how that proposal is defined by his opponents, the governor’s race will be forefront in

Springfield. Just as important. but on a smaller scale, will be the individual races state representatives and

state senators are in. Their votes on key issues such as the state budget will be made with an eye on the

November election.

2. Not far behind the focus on the election will be the focus on if, and when, the governor and

members of the general assembly pass a full year budget for the next fiscal year. The budget battle will

be intense to say the least. Already we are seeing some candidates running on a platform of rolling back

the tax increase and making further cuts to the state budget. Look for those taking that position to be

front and center during the budget battle. They will be countered by those who say the tax increase

must remain and state government has already been “cut to the bone”. That debate will play out during

countless budget hearings, press conferences and meetings.

3. While not always on the front page of media stories, several human service issues will be at the top

of the general assembly’s agenda during the Spring Session. As you may have seen in recent media

stories, the issue of Illinois’ contract for manage care has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks.

Along with that issue, contracts for psychiatric services and the opioid crises will have the attention of

Illinois’ lawmakers.

4. IABH staff and lobbyist are putting the finishing touches on our 2018 legislative agenda which we will

be announcing in January.

5. IABH staff and lobbyist will be reviewing the hundreds of bills which will be filed when Session begins

in January. Some of those bills will be of interest to, and impact IABH members. When that occurs

IABH’s Public Policy Committee and board will review the bill and make a recommendation of what

position IABH staff and lobbyist take on the bill.

On occasion, IABH may send you alerts asking you to make calls or take specific actions. Please know

when we do that, we don’t do it for just any reason, it is because a bill or other policy proposal will have

a direct impact on you. As always, please contact us if there are any questions.

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ICB Honors Cheri DeMoss

with the 2017 Professional of

the Year Award

ICB honored its 2017 Professional of

the Year at the Fall Conference in Mt.

Vernon, IL. Cheri DeMoss was

recognized for her efforts and

achievements as an individual who has

given an outstanding contribution to

the human services field in Illinois.

Cheri has been a dedicated clinician

and trainer in the behavioral health

field for over 27 years. She is known

for being creative, dynamic, enthusias-

tic, and energizing.

Cheri obtained her CADC in 1990, the NCRS in 2005, and transitioned to the

CAADC in 2009. Her work in the field has been highlighted in so many wonderful

and impressive ways - presenting, teaching, counseling, and consulting. She has

touched the lives of others through individual counseling, group counseling, and

educational classes for adults, couples, and parents. Cheri has provided in-services

to schools, customized trainings for communities, and consultation services for a

wide variety of businesses. Additionally, for the ICB conferences, she is known for

the motivating, innovative, and unique style of presenting workshops that keeps

audiences coming back for more year after year.

A key concept of this person’s counseling, teaching, and training perspective lies in

being on the side of the client, to help them obtain information, insights and

effective options. Cheri is the founder and director of the organization, Empower-

ing Options, specializing in personal empowerment.

Congratulations, Cheri!

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www.IAODAPCA.org

Counselors

ICB Congratulates

its Newly Credentialed members!

Please note: These are

professionals credentialed by ICB between August 11,

2017, 2017 and December 11, 2017

This list also includes those

who have successfully transitioned to a higher level

of Certification or Board Registration.

CARS

Nicole Alkaraki CADC

Katherine Andersen CADC

Alexa Assimos CADC

Christopher Atwater CADC

Mario Avila CADC

Adriane Barton CADC

Samantha Berta CADC

Ryan Bertocchi CADC

Beth Bilsley CADC

Shannon Bradley CADC

Shari Brady CADC

Helen Brunton CADC

Kirsten Bushman CADC

Allison Byrne CADC

Caitlin Chapman CADC

Stephen Christopherson CADC

Jerome Clark CADC

Stephanie Coccaro CADC

Jessica Contreras CADC

Eric Dean CADC

Kaitlin DiSanti CADC

Jessica Douglass CADC

Mistie Drews CADC

Tabitha Farmer CADC

Lauren Farrell CADC

Jaclyn Feldman CADC

Dorota Felinski CADC

Briea Frestel CADC

Alexandria Frey CADC

Agnieszka Galinski CADC

Walter Gaskew CADC

Trevor Gates-Crandall CRADC

Miguel Gonzalez CADC

Mark Hagene CADC

Brian Harrison CADC

Denise Hartung-Manuel CADC

Tyler Hensleigh CADC

Ilsza Heredy CADC

Kristen Hernandez CADC

Elena Herrera CADC

Judith Hopwood CADC

Joanna Hornbeck CADC

Rachel Horton CADC

Mary Huber CADC

Kelsey Jablonski CADC

Juanita Jenkins CADC

Kiara Johnson CADC

Lloyd Johnston II CADC

Lisa Jones CADC

Justyna Kapustka CADC

Robert Kelly CADC

Sukhee Kim CADC

Dorothy Kuklinoski CADC

Alexandra Lekas CADC

Stephanie LeRoy CADC

Katrina Lidik CADC

Lauren Lustfeldt CADC

Tiffany Mack CADC

Stephanie Marquette CADC

Jackie Martin CADC

Faith Martin CADC

Kristin Mathews CRADC

Brittney McBride CADC

Christina McCain CADC

Brenda McKee CADC

Lauren Melchi CADC

Derek Moore CADC

Alice Morgan CADC

Giselle Navarro CADC

Nadia Neimanas CADC

Christopher Nichols CADC

Grace Orofino CADC

Sarah Pepper CADC

Kelly Poapst CADC

Eugenia Powell CADC

Bryant Reeves CADC

Lauren Richards CADC

Gina Rogers CADC

Nikki Ruffin CADC

Clariza Saint George CADC

Jillian Sallan CADC

Clarice Schmidt CADC

Yemilei Schroeder CADC

Richard Scott III CADC

Susan Stuart CADC

Barry Tan CADC

Mohammed Tarawneh CADC

Jenna Theilgaard CADC

Tara Thompson CADC

Sara Venhorst CADC

Nora Violante CADC

Michael Wathen CAADC

William Wellborn CADC

Sarah Williams CADC

Donna Finney CARS

Charlee Fritsche CARS

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CRSS CAAP

MAATP

MISA I/II

CPRS

NCRS

Bret Bohlin CRSS

Vachel Cumberlander CRSS

Amy Foster CRSS

Diana Hanan Hanna CRSS

Jill Hartwig CRSS

Michael Holstein CRSS

Letecia James CRSS

Catherine Jurek CRSS

Jerry Nance CRSS

Manasseh Nuwagaba CRSS

Darla Ornelis CRSS

Christian Proffit CRSS

Jeffrey Shapiro CRSS

Anglea Wolfe CRSS

Antonio Aldava CAAP

Thomas Burnett CAAP

Antonio Callaway CAAP

Fredrick Davis CAAP

David Donaldson CAAP

William Hall III CAAP

Douglas Kelsay CAAP

Brandon Martinez CAAP

Nathaniel McCullor Jr. CAAP

Carl Mosby CAAP

Pamela Papapostolou CAAP

Cory Paytes CAAP

Perry Taylor CAAP

Candido Ublies CAAP

Richard Wilson CAAP

George Woodruff CAAP

Jose Carabeo NCRS

Amber Crowley MISA I

Rex Alexander CPRS

Ty Bechel CPRS

Suzanne Favors CPRS

Shaleyah Floyd MAATP

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www.IAODAPCA.org

Failed To Recertify

The following is a list of

members who have failed to renew their credential with

ICB. There are a number of

reasons why they have not renewed. These include, transferring credentials to another state, failing to pay fees and/or failure to obtain

ceus, retired or simply left the field.

What ever the reason may be, it is the responsibility of ICB to inform the field and the public regarding any and all persons

change in credentials.

Thank you.

Counselors

CARS

Almeida, Robert

Andersen, Jeannie

April-Brown, Jada

Bambule, Rene

Barnard, Dana

Barter, Lori

Braun, Jane

Brosman, Bret

Brown, Audrey

Cargill, Bonita

Clapp, Lindy

Clay, Renee

Cochran, William

Cowhick, Amy

Crager, David

Cruz, Sandra

Curry, Leslie

Daling, Jamie

Dovey, Edward

Drummond, Lolita

Dukes, Gloria

Edwards, Darrell

Edwards, Jason

Eichorst, Michael

Evans, Mary

Farley, Roberta

Farooqui, Mumtaz

Felbinger, Cynthia

Fennell, Therese

Flood, Allison

Freifeld, Marilyn

Fulton, Morgan

Geiss, Stella

Goehrig, Jennifer

Gordon, Frances

Grant, Roland

Green, Sherry

Griffiths, John

Guelich, Richard

Hay, Kelly

Hoffard, Vincent

Hoyle, Larry

Ijere, Ignatius

Irvin, Pam

Judd, Caroline

Kersee, Henry

Klein, Anna

Kostman, Sherry

Kummetz, Christopher

LaMay, Kyle

Manzano, Robert-Lee

Mayes, John

McClain, Melissa

McField, Shaunta

McKeough, Connie

McMillian, Shalayne

Meyers, Linda

Meyers, Linda

Mitcham, Michael

Moffett, Urainer

Moody, John

Moore, Charlotte

Muirhead, Matthew

Mullins, Michael

Murphy, Menzo

Mwalozie, Kennedy

Norman, Connie

O'Malley, Linda

Otte, MaryBeth

Pappas, Melissa

Parus, Valerie

Petersohn, Joan

Peterson, Tecya

Reyes, Armando

Richardson, Jimmie

Roberts, Andrew

Roche, Sylvia

Rogers, Angie

Ross, Vicki

Roth, Sharon

Roufa, Mary

Ruiz-Velez, Mayra

Sanchez, Jamie

Sappington, Kelly

Savber, Megan

Schaffner, Christopher

Schilz, Christine

Smith, Henry

Solomon, Kay

Stoudemire, Thenesia

Thomas, Carrie

Thomas, Kristin

Thompson, Denise

Waffle, Robin

Wegener, Jennifer

Whalen, Tracy

Wiggins, Michael

Wilbering Jr, Frank

Woodrow Jr., Davis

Dewalt, Lateefah

Hamilton, Norman

Szydelko, Janet

Williams, Jacqueline

CRSS

Bailey, Shannon

CCJP

Clough, Mary

RDDP

Pinto, Suzanne

PCGC

Levy, Felicia

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NCRS CAAP MISA I/II

Bennett, Rachel

Bonds, Nathaniel

Burton-Taylor Cole, Elizabeth

Dicks, Nicole

Hanlon, James

Kohutko, Anne

O'Kelley, Rebecca

Petty, Anthony

Phillips, Nijela

Tover Jr, Jose

Vogt, Allen

Williams, David

Clay, Renee

Cochran, William

Kostman, Sherry

Nelson, Jeffrey

Peterson, Tecya

Ranzy, Jill

Richardson, Jimmie

Sedlacek, Geraldine

Thompson, Denise

Moore, Charlotte

Reyes, Armando

Sheputis, Michael

Stoudemire, Thenesia

Cabello, Mario

Carnahan, Shawn

Cranford, Anthony

George-Baskin, Lorene

Gray, Rhyder

Johnson-Bey, Theodore

Lewiel, Hubbard

Magana, Michael

Mecer, Julius

Ohrnstein, Mark

Savage, Sean

Springfield, Ken

Yager, Bryan

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Illinois’ Opioid Crisis: We Want to Hear From YOU!

Solving Illinois’ opioid crisis means learning what the crisis looks like in every community. To help us do

that, IABH member Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) and the Illinois Department of Human

Services/Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (IDHS/DASA) have created a short, anony-

mous web survey that asks people about activities taking place in their communities that are addressing

the opioid epidemic and what they think we need to do to solve it.

We want to hear from everyone – families, providers, law enforcement, first responders, agency admin-

istrators, educators, people in recovery, etc. To reach as many people statewide as possible, please share

this email with your colleagues, other groups/coalitions you may be a member of, friends and fami-

ly. Everyone is welcome (and encouraged!) to fill out a survey – including you! Simply click on the link

below to fill out the survey:

Illinois Opioid Crisis Community Survey

The survey is available now through December 22nd. We will use survey results as part of ongoing work

to develop strategies to solve the epidemic.

Questions? Please contact Sue Pickett at spickett@ahpnet.com or by phone at 312 376 1870.

Thank you!

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ICB’s Executive Director Honored for Advocacy Efforts

The George Schwab Distinguished Service

Award was presented to ICB’s Executive Direc-

tor, Jessica Hayes on September 7, 2017 by the

Illinois Association for Behavioral Health. This

award is given in celebration of the spirit,

memory and dedication of the Chairman of the

Board from 1979-1980, who symbolized the

sacrifice and commitment of professionals in the

behavioral health field. IABH Chairman, David Gomel and CEO, Sara

Howe presented the award to Jessica during the IABH conference. The

award honors her leadership, dedication, and gratitude for her

outstanding contributions to the Association and its mission.

Congratulations, Jessica!

Jessica Hayes, Executive Director of the

Illinois Certification Board was also

honored by the Illinois Association of

Addictions Professionals (IAAP)

September 20, 2017 during the

Associations annual awards luncheon.

IAAP gives these awards annually to

honor exemplary achievements, promote

addiction awareness and encourage the

pursuit of best practices. Executive

Director Hayes was presented the Mark

Sanders Advocacy Award for recognition

of her work; demonstrating a profound

and tireless commitment to addiction recovery.

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Want Your Article

featured in the Next ICB Newsletter?

If you would like to submit an

article for possible inclusion

in the ICB Newsletter please

email your article to:

Dianne@iaodapca.org

ICB will consider all articles that

will be of some benefit to our

members. Articles are to

include a written statement

from the Author giving ICB

permission to use the

article.

YOUR AD HERE! Interested in advertising in the

ICB Newsletter?

Contact

Dianne Gutierrez at

217/698-8110

for all of the details.

Dianne@iaodapca.org

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The Importance of Writing Skills for Addictions Counselors

By: Jason Florin, CAADC

An Overlooked Skill for Addictions Counselors

Writing Addictions counseling is a communications business. We as educators and clinical supervisors train new counselors to pay atten-

tion to spoken words, tone of voice, and body language, to notice subtle shifts in a client ’s mood, thinking, and behavior, and to closely

evaluate their own style of interacting. However, we often ignore or minimize the importance of quality written communication.

In addictions counseling, we do a great deal of writing. We write papers for publication and presentations, send e-mails containing critical

information to colleagues and supervisors, prepare cover letters and resumes for potential jobs, and craft clinical notes that help steer a

client’s treatment and could end up in court some day. Strong writing skills create better continuity of treatment, improved measurement of

outcomes, and greater client advocacy. Possessing such skills may also increase the opportunity to earn positions in management or

administration, which typically come with higher pay and greater input into treatment content and structure. On the other hand, a lack of

writing ability consistently holds counselors back from jobs in which they may otherwise excel.

Reports and record keeping, or documentation, is one of the twelve core functions identified for substance abuse counselors as part of our

global criteria. It is listed right alongside counseling, case management, and crisis intervention. Yet this function is often given only cursory

attention, except when we have interns and new counselors crank out piles of generic progress notes. We consider documentation to be a

necessary burden in order to meet accreditation standards and ensure reimbursement for services. Instead, I want to encourage all those

who run training programs and provide supervision of counselors to re-conceptualize the role of writing in our field. We need to create a

culture in our profession that prizes clear communication on all fronts, including and especially the written word.

Furthermore, as part of the shifting climate in behavioral health care, agencies are being held accountable for implementing evidenced-

based practices that demonstrate results with their clients. Auditors and managed care representatives spend at most a few hours per year

seeing the actual work an agency does, so it is left up to the documentation to paint the rest of the clinical picture. We must ask what kind

of picture our writing paints and whether it is worthy of the great work being done.

Some students entering training programs to become addictions counselors assume that they will not need a well-rounded set of academic

skills. They count on their interpersonal strengths to carry them in their careers. While these are important abilities, they are not enough.

Graduates of training programs also need to be able to locate academic resources, cite them appropriately, and communicate their

findings through both written and spoken words. Along the way, a percentage of students may find this too arduous. Although we may

lose some gifted people, I believe that ultimately we help groom better professionals this way.

A degree alone does not make someone a great employee or a good clinician. Nor does being able to write a solid research paper

prepare someone to deal with a client in crisis or a family that is struggling with a substance using teenager. As a supervisor in residential

treatment I often said, “Give me someone who cares, and I can teach them the rest.” I still believe the trait of empathy is foremost in what

makes a good professional. However, if our future counselors are going to take the next step and help create the environment of respect

that the field of addictions counseling deserves, then they must also carry with them the skills that allow them to stand above professionals

in other fields. If society is to recognize the importance of this work and support it with their tax dollars, then they need to hear more than

what is in our students’ hearts; they also need to see each newly certified or licensed counselor writing and communicating at a superior

level. Ultimately, the justification for our existence will be in the words that tell the story of our tremendous deeds.

Jason Florin is the program coordinator and Associate Professor of Human Services at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Mr. Florin

has over 16 years of experience in the addictions counseling field and has MA and MHS degrees from Governors State University, is a

Licensed Professional Counselor, and holds certification as a CAADC, MAC, and SAP.

E-mail: florin@cod.edu

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To Protect the Public by providing competency based

credentialing of Human Service Professionals

Illinois Certification Board d/b/a IAODAPCA

401 East Sangamon Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62702

website: WWW.IAODAPCA.ORG ~ Email: INFO@IAODAPCA.ORG

In Memoriam . . . . .

Ann Splett, CADC—Member since 1997

Barbara Titone, CADC– Member since 1999

Sharon Whelan, CADC-Member since 1993

Jerry Jackson,CADC-Member since 1994 “Good bye may seem forever. Farwell is like the end, but in my heart is the

memory and there is where you will always be.” -Walt Disney