This Advisory is based on Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) 21, Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice. It discusses the development of the counseling competencies and the validated research on which they are based, provides a simplified overview of their structure and the elements of a typical competency, and outlines how these competencies are changing the field of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment nationwide. The Advisory also addresses the critical role of cultural competency.

This resource summarizes guidelines for screening, assessing, and providing comprehensive treatment for issues related to child abuse and neglect among people in substance use disorder treatment. It provides strategies for breaking the intergenerational cycle and discusses therapeutic issues for counselors.

This manual describes brief intervention and therapy techniques for the treatment of alcohol and drug misuse.

This manual offers guidelines to help counselors and administrators deliver substance use disorder treatment in criminal justice settings. It discusses aspects in providing substance use disorder treatment to people within the criminal justice system, including screening and assessment, and triage and placement in treatment services.

This manual guides clinicians through stages of primary care for alcohol and substance misuse in adult patients. It discusses warning signs of misuse, screening and follow-up, brief intervention, assessment, treatment models, and legal issues. It includes four screening tools.

This manual guides counselors in the use of medications to help clients achieve abstinence from alcohol. It describes how the medications work and whom may benefit. It also presents the side effects of three FDA-approved medications: acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone.

This manual provides substance use disorder treatment providers with guidelines for addressing treatment issues in various settings within the criminal justice system. It discusses screening and assessment, triage and placement, and treatment issues for specific populations.

This manual guides disaster response workers in assisting survivors of mass violence and terrorism and their families. It discusses basic counseling skills, when to refer to mental health services, populations with special needs, and stress prevention and management for workers.