Jan/Feb 2008 President's Report

A President’s Dilemma

 

I have been very proud of the fact that CAADAC is the only organization in California, other than IAcC (our American Indian counterparts) whose certification standards are in line with the national standard. This is attained through our certification board’s (CCBADC) affiliation with the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (ICRC) whose standards we subscribe to. I am also very proud of the fact that, due to our previous licensure efforts, our profession is now being regulated for the first time via the current certification regulations. Despite the fact that the education and experiential requirements of the regulations place our standards as the lowest in the country, prior to these regulations “all you needed to be a counselor was a TB test” – as so eloquently stated by CAADAC Past President, Tim Sinnott. We continue to strive for higher standards by calling upon the ADP to raise certification standards, and by our current licensure bill, AB 1367, which would provide regulation for counselors who work outside of state licensed facilities.

 

I would like every counselor to be certified at the national standard that CAADAC provides. This is not because I think CAADAC needs to take over the certification world, but because it is in line with our mission to attain “the highest levels of advocacy, competency and ethics.” Unfortunately, and due in large part to the low wages many AODA counselors receive, not everyone can afford CAADAC and go to other organizations that offer certification at levels that often fall far below the national standard. As a result, we are left to ponder these challenging and uncomfortable questions: “So only those who can afford CAADAC can get certification at the national standard?” “Might webe viewed as an elitist type of organization in that only those who make enough money can join us?” This not only reflects poorly on CAADAC, but also hurts our profession as a whole.

 

I realize these comments appear rather pointed, but the truth is undeniable. Frankly, I have a really hard time facing such truths. Now, here is your President’s dilemma. As I contemplate the New Year, and my second and final year as your President, I struggle with hinting at what I, and most of your elected Board members, believe might be best for our organization and our profession as a whole. This struggle results from the fact that I don’t want to have my presidency, nor your board viewed in such a light as “What are these crazy people doing with our beloved organization!” “Who do they think they are trying to change something that we’ve been doing for the past 25 years?” I would likely have the same thoughts if I were not coming from the perspective of someone who has been on the CAADAC Board of Directors for the past 11 years. 

 

Despite such concern and fear, I can’t just sit on my hands. I can’t just sit back as your elected leader and not share with you what I see from my perspective. So here goes: I think we need to take another look at our relationshipwith NAADAC. I know, I know – I can hear the naysayers now: “Didn’t we already vote on this last year? Why is he not respecting the wishes of the membership?” To address these questions, I want to let you know that I did honor what the membership voted for by negotiating and signing the first affiliate contract with NAADAC since 2003. This was not an easy, or inexpensive, task as we needed to have our attorney draw up a contract that would protect our corporation, as the NAADAC contract did not provide such protection. That said, it was a very close vote (25 votes made the difference) indicating that our organization is still very split on this issue. 

 

Due to the fact that we lowered our dues by $25, CAADAC membership alone is only $100. Since NAADAC insists on mandatory dual membership for its affiliates, in order to be a member of CAADAC you must also be a member of NAADAC, which costs an additional $85. This total of $185 is not affordable by many due to the low wages many in our profession make. A little over a year ago, we attempted to have NAADAC change their policy of mandatory dual membership, but they voted it down. We next tried to get NAADAC to roll back their membership dues this past fall, but that was voted down as well. My point here is not to focus on how NAADAC is doing business, but to demonstrate that we have tried to soften the financial blow of dual membership for our members without disaffiliating, but to no avail. 

 

Don’t get me wrong; NAADAC does good work for our profession – primarily in the area of advocacy on a national level. The work they do benefits all counselors in our state. Unfortunately, CAADAC members alone pay for these benefits for everyone. Most of NAADAC’s other tangible benefits are also offered by CAADAC, so we end up paying almost double for the same services. 

 

So we have to ask ourselves as an organization, what are our priorities? Given that our high certification standards and reciprocity come from our affiliation with the IC&RC, not NAADAC, and that most of what NAADAC offers benefit-wise is covered by CAADAC certification alone, is it really that important for us to stay affiliated with NAADAC and thereby pricing CAADAC and its high standards out of range for many who want to work in our profession? Do we really want to continue to foot the bill for everyone in our state who benefits from NAADAC’s federal advocacy efforts? Do we really want to lose the opportunity for as many counselors as possible to be trained at the national standard and thereby staying in line with our mission? 

 

These are the soul-searching kind of decisions we need to make as a membership organization. I firmly believe in CAADAC’s mission, but succeeding is this mission becomes extremely difficult when it costs so much to be affiliated with NAADAC. Since we work toward the “attainment of the highest levels of advocacy, competency and ethics,” I believe it is our desire to have as many counselors as possible come to CAADAC to get certified through CCBADC. 

 

So I bring you these questions at the risk of being seen in a negative light or as   a leader on self-will-run-riot! I was elected as President of this organization to lead to the best of my ability. I take that responsibility very seriously and see it as my job to enable the membership to make well-informed decisions, and then to carry out administration of such decisions. It is in this spirit that I bring this issue to you.

I want to extend my sincere hope that you and yours had a very Happy Holiday Season and that 2008 is your best year ever!

 

Sincerely,

 

Bob Tyler, CAADAC President