SESSION ABSTRACT: Deliverers of Substance Abuse Prevention Services: Issues of Professional Preparation

More than fifty years ago, despite the constancy of substance abuse, the work force to prevent that deleterious behavior was quite different than today's workforce. The transdisciplinary work force that has association, albeit professional and/or personal, with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD), have divergent views on who is best prepared to deliver services that may affect behavioral change. Not unlike its counterparts in other segments of behavioral health, there has been a concerted effort to have individuals obtain licensing and/or certification to deliver substance abuse prevention services. But, issues of professional preparation, venues for practice, specialization vis-à-vis generalization, and lack of reimbursement are serious issues that have not been discussed. The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) in the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has started a new initiative entitled Prevention Fellows. Given this national effort, perhaps the time is ripe for a role delineation study or policy that unites through transdisciplinarity the plethora of disciplines that encompass universal, selective, and indicated substance abuse prevention services. This session will examine these issues.