Buyer Be Aware - Advertisements for Intervention Training need to be carefully considered!

I see these offers for Interventionist Training all the time and I become quite concerned that we are not telling our public that the training is a very small part of the overall picture with regard to the requirements to become a CIP. So if you are tempted think about all of the requirements not just the training.

Some of these offers say “If you are interested in becoming certified as an interventionist (CIP), this training will provide 25 CE hours approved by the Pennsylvania Certification Board.  This is one piece of the requirement for certification”!

And in the next breath they will mention what it will cost you to participate in the training in some sunny location – be prepared to open your wallet and let go of somewhere between $ 1500 and $ 2500 plus travel and hotel for the privilege of putting the training hours in the bank. For what a certificate?

Perhaps it would be better for us to inform our public what the actual requirements to become a CIP really are. If you look below you can see that they are pretty extensive and are certainly worth it if you have the correct experience, education and supervision. There are people out there who do really top notch training and are thinking big picture. The training might occur at a fine treatment center and I would applaud that. But there are others who see this as a means to make money in a hurry. Be sure you ask the right questions.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CIP

EXPERIENCE

The amount of experience required is contingent upon the level of education (see below) and must be specific to the domains.  The domains are: Pre‐Intervention, Intervention, Post Intervention and Professional & Ethical Responsibility. Supervised work experience is defined as providing direct addiction intervention and related services 50% of the time.  All experience must be documented and supervised.  2000 hours is equivalent to one year of experience.   

·         6000 hours experience with High School Diploma/GED

·         5000 hours experience with AA/AS degree

·          4000 hours with BA/BS degree

·         2000 hours with MA/MS degree

·         1000 hours with doctorate degree

Applicants must document participation in three interventions and facilitation of two interventions within the last three years for a total of five interventions.  

EDUCATION

The amount of education required is contingent upon the level of education (see below).  Six hours must be in professional ethics and responsibility.  Education must be specifically related to the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the tasks within the domains.  Education is defined as formal, structured instruction in the form of workshops, seminars, institutes, in‐services, college/university credit courses and distance learning.  All education must be documented.  There is no time limit on when education was received.  Education provided to other professionals is also acceptable.  A relevant three credit college course is equal to 45 hours.   

·         270 hours of education with High School Diploma/GED of which 80 hours must be relevant to the domains

·         200 hours of education with AA/AS of which 80 hours must be relevant to the domains

·         150 hours of education with BA/BS of which 80 hours must be relevant to the domains

·         100 hours of education with MA/MS of which 80 hours must be relevant to the domains

·         80 hours of education with doctorate of which all hours must be relevant to the domains

SUPERVISION

The amount of supervision required is contingent upon the level of education (see below).  A minimum of ten hours in each domain is required.  Supervision must be documented and may occur as part of eligible work experience and may be completed under more than one supervisor.  Supervision is the administrative and evaluative process of monitoring, assessing, and enhancing professional’s performance.  Supervisors must hold a license or certification in the behavioral health field.   

·         200 hours of supervision with High School Diploma/GED  

·         150 hours of supervision with AA/AS degree

·         100 hours of supervision with BA/BS degree

·         60 hours of supervision with MA/MS degree

·         No supervision is required with a doctorate degree

WHY: were these requirements put in place? Well in this publication in the past we have seen articles about intervention where things like the Wild West and Cowboys have been raised. This rankles those of us who are bound by the standards that we totally believe are applicable to us. We have to raise the bar and set the standard and we cannot do that if we dilute the base and appeal to anyone with an interest to become an interventionist. In addition wholesale training without regard is subtly diluting the average skill level of the interventionist which flies in the face of what AIS and other intervention groups are trying to create. Ethically we have to tell those people who are interested that the requirements to become certified are daunting and that the 25 hour training is a very small piece of the certification jigsaw. It must be our stance that we are interested in making sure that the skill level and experience of the certified intervention professional  is increased, thus making it difficult for the uninitiated or the do gooder to take advantage of poor standards

ETHICS: Our code of ethics states that the intervention specialist must recognize that this profession is founded on standards of competence which promotes the best interest of the client, the intervention specialist, this profession, and society. The intervention specialist must recognize the effect of physical and mental impairment on professional performance, and be willing to seek appropriate treatment for oneself or for a colleague. The intervention specialist must uphold the legal and accepted ethical codes which pertain to professional conduct.

BRENE BROWN has made a big splash recently with her Daring Way Training and many treatment centers including Onsite and Promises have become Daring Treatment Centers. In addition her Daring Way Certification process is pretty stringent and the requirements are pretty similar to ours. What I find interesting is that she will only be offering training in the UK and Australia next year and that will be it. She has trained the number of people she wanted to train and is not interested in training for training sake as her research shows that if she does that she will dilute the message and decrease the fidelity of the certificate. I think we have a lot to gain by looking at this example.