An Overview of the ASAM Criteria for Adults E296

Course Summary

Practice Level: Intermediate

This learning material provides an overview of The ASAM Criteria – Treatment Criteria for Addictive, Substance-Related and Co-occurring Conditions, 4th Edition Volume 1 – Adults (ASAM 4) for counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, school psychologists, social workers, and substance abuse counselors. ASAM 4 is designed to be extremely comprehensive with 23 chapters and 659 pages in the print version. Rather than summarize the entire volume, this learning material focuses on the parts of ASAM 4 of greatest relevance to behavioral health professionals. These parts include the continuum of care (what ASAM believes services should entail), assessments (that inform patient-centered treatment placement and planning), and level of care determination algorithm and processes (that match patients to treatment programs best suited to their needs and preferences). Other parts of ASAM 4—medical services for patients who benefit from addiction pharmacotherapy and issues common across behavioral health, and uses of The ASAM Criteria for administrative purposes—are summarized briefly in this learning material or not at all. Mental health providers interested in these topics can consult the ASAM 4 directly.

This learning material includes sections on ASAM 4’s (a) history; (b) development and use; (c) levels of care; and (d) assessments. Case illustrations are also provided to enhance understanding of the ASAM 4 levels of care and patient assessments.

Course Format

This course contains downloadable online lessons (PDF) and a practice test. When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the purpose and core components of The ASAM Criteria. 
2. Explain the six dimensions of The ASAM Criteria and their implications for patient assessment, placement, and treatment planning. 
3. Explain how to use The ASAM Criteria subdimensions for level of care recommendations, assessment and initial treatment, decision making, and treatment and recovery planning. 

Authors

Howard Padwa, Ph.D.

Howard Padwa, Ph.D. is a health services researcher, historian, and research scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Integrated Substance Abuse Programs within the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in the David Geffen School of Medicine. His research focuses on behavioral health services, publicly funded addiction treatment service systems, and other programs that serve low-income U.S. residents with mental health and substance use-related health conditions. Howard has been co-investigator of many projects evaluating the impact of statewide initiatives to improve the performance and quality of publicly funded substance use disorder treatment services in California. One of these projects was an evaluation of the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System Section 1115 Waiver, which incorporated many elements of The ASAM Criteria into the transformation of California’s substance use disorder treatment system for Medicaid beneficiaries. He was also co-investigator on a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded study of clinical decision-making and patient placement using The ASAM Criteria in California, which produced five peer-reviewed research publications about The ASAM Criteria and its implementation.

Tara Wells, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-C

Tara Wells, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner based in Helena, Montana. She has worked in medical/surgical care, urgent care, psychiatric care, long-term acute care, teaching, management, and insurance settings. As an FNP-C Tara has managed a wide range of chronic medical conditions including HIV and hepatitis, and provided medication assisted therapy (MAT) for substance use disorders. At her private practice Tara continues to treat a wide range of psychiatric, behavioral, and chronic conditions.

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Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

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