Examining counselor training and knowledge of evidence based treatments for smoking cessation

The prevalence of smoking among individuals seeking treatment for co-occurring substance abuse is between 70-95%; however, little is known about the quality of smoking cessation programs offered alongside substance abuse treatment or whether counselors use evidence-based treatment (EBTs) approaches to smoking cessation. Previous studies find that many patients desire to quit smoking when recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, and the success of sobriety increases when patients quit smoking. This study will examine educational training of counselors and knowledge about EBTs for nicotine dependence. Data were collected from online surveys administered to 1054 counselors from randomly selected substance abuse treatment facilities across the nation. When examining formal education training in substance abuse, 47.2% reported training to some extent and 44.1% reported to a great extent. Mental health educational training was similar to that of substance abuse, with 40.9% of counselors reporting some extent and 52.1% reporting a great extent. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of counselors reported having 0 hours of training on smoking cessation within the past year, and 31.7% of counselors reported only 1-10 hours of smoking cessation training. When examining knowledge of EBTs for smoking cessation, 58.5% reported some knowledge and 35% reported no knowledge at all about the treatments. Access to EBTs for smoking cessation has been hindered by lack of counselor knowledge and training for effectively treating smoking; therefore, efforts must be made to include smoking cessation training to improve overall treatment of patients.