Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTCs)

Abstract

In response to a perceived shortage in the public sector of well-trained addiction treatment professionals and a Congressional mandate, CSAT initiated the ATTC program (1) to increase the number of health and allied health practitioners in nonprofit alcohol and other drug abuse treatment (AODA) programs, (2) to link publicly funded AODA programs with institutions that train health and allied health care practitioners in order to improve the competency of practitioners who presently practice in those programs, and (3) to strengthen addiction treatment curricula used to train health and allied health care practitioners. The ATTCs are multidisciplinary in scope, encompassing addictions counseling and a minimum of three other substance abuse-related disciplines such as medicine, nursing, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, and criminal justice. The ATTC program supports faculty, training needs assessments, curricula refinement, internships, preceptorships, and other activities related to the development of AODA clinical training programs. ATTCs provide discipline-specific and multidisciplinary preemployment training and continuing professional education opportunities. The ATTC program was initiated in FY 1994 through cooperative agreements with 11 recipients. In the first year each ATTC completed an initial planning phase, with full implementation begun during FY 1995. A comprehensive process and outcome evaluation of the individual ATTCs as well as the overall program will be performed.