Prevention Core Competencies

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is available as an open-access article. For this project, the goal of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) was to strengthen the substance use prevention field by continuing to assist in its professionalization. The projects participants understood that their development of prevention core competencies would serve professionals working in the field of mental and substance use disorder prevention. To this end, there was a three-phase work plan to advance the development of the prevention core competencies: Phase I: Identification of prevention domains and cross-cutting principles; Phase II: Development of substance use prevention core competencies and definitions; Phase III: Development of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for each competency. It is anticipated that these prevention core competencies and KSAs will offer professional direction to the prevention field, affecting staff development and career ladders and pipelines, and providing guidance for training programs and service delivery qualification. This proposed set of professional standards may become an integral part of job descriptions, staff qualifications, and the development of transferable skills. This course on the role of competencies and knowledge, skills, and abilities is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of the role of competencies and knowledge, skills, and abilities. The course material includes a literature review of theory. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: SAMHSA Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the role of competencies and knowledge, skills, and abilities. Specifically, a professional will: Recognize the value and use of competencies and knowledge, skills, and abilities. Identify recommended core competencies. Describe competencies recommended for assessment. Citation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Prevention Core Competencies. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://store.samhsa.gov/product/prevention-core-competencies/pep20-03-08-001