International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education

Although addiction studies is a venerable field dating from the mid-20th century, there were a small number of curricula at colleges and universities until the late 1970s. At that time, state and national systems for cre-dentialing of addiction counselors were established, and academic programs were put in place to offer the [Page 497]educational requirements for addiction counselor certification. In 1990, it became apparent that the complexion of addiction counseling was changing. This was manifested in an aging workforce, in advancements toward credentialing and licensure of addictions professionals, and in an increasingly complex body of addictions research that challenged current practitioners in the field. A group of addiction studies educators from around the United States formed a germinal organization to address this urgent workforce development need. ...