Intervention, Treatment, and Recovery: A Practical Guide to the TAP 21 Addiction Counseling Competencies

The Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice (Technical Assistance Publication [TAP] 21), developed by the National Curriculum Committee of the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network, is an evidence based body of work that identifies competencies that are essential to the effective practice of counseling for psychoactive substance use disorders. TAP 21 has been the benchmark by which curricula are developed and educational programs and professional standards are measured for the field of substance abuse treatment in the United States since it was first published in 1998.

When an updated edition of the TAP 21 was released in 2006, it became clear that what educators, students and counselors needed was a simple way to teach, learn, understand and practice the competencies outlined in the TAP 21.

Intervention, Treatment and Recovery: A Practical Guide to the TAP 21 Addiction Counseling Competencies, was developed to meet that need. In it, the reader will find a useful overview of each competency, as well as exercises, case studies, instruments and additional resources that will bring the competencies to life and make the TAP 21 accessible in one simple workbook.