VALUE AND GOALS OF PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
Certification is a process by which an independent third-party assesses and acknowledges an individual's level of knowledge and skill relative to a set of pre-determined standards. This is typically accomplished by means of collecting and presenting information related to educational background, work/life experience, and specific skill sets.
Practitioners from a variety of disciplines and sectors provide substance abuse-related services and certification is one way to ensure they have and maintain the necessary skills to continue to provide the best and most appropriate services to their clients.
As both the literature and research evidence has proven, certification:
- attests to the professional qualifications and competence of the Counsellor;
- defines the roles of Wellness or/and Addictions Counsellor;
- recognizes special skills, cultural/traditional and addictions specific knowledge required to work effectively within First Nations communities;
- supports standards that are recognized by various addictions counseling organizations and authorities on a national and international level; and,
- places First Nations Wellness/Addictions Counsellors on par with their peers nationally and internationally
