Bermuda's drug and alcohol counsellors are on their way to being certified -- if they wish.

"The general feeling is that international certification is a good goal,'' said Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse executive director Gordon Johnson.

"But CADA is particularly interested in how we are going to move toward that,'' he added.

"We have to be able to provide the necessary resources for all people to be able to reach the standards with confidence and competence.'' Pointing at the three individuals who recently went to Hazelden Counsellor Training Center in Center City, Minnesota, Mr. Douglas added that when they returned they would still be one step away from certification in Bermuda.

That was due to the fact there was no independent and professional vehicle in place which could become a member of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Inc. yet.

But Mr. Douglas stressed that one was in the process of being formed and this would provide the link toward international standards that counsellors could meet for basic levels of certification.

This was happening under Cox and Wilkinson's John Riihiluoma who was drafting a constitution for the professional association and the Bermuda College's Helen Pearman-Ziral.

It will be known as the Association of Certified Chemical Dependency Counsellors of Bermuda and it wants Government to sanction the qualifications of those employed in the field.

Certification for local workers will be based on the bylaws of this Wisconsin-based organisation which is one of the bodies which sets US standards for counsellor quality, training, and professional conduct.

He said CADA had a clear role of helping people move through the necessary training needed to reach accreditation.

ICRC/AODA would help, he continued, as they had done all the background work and understood what knowledge and resources were needed to achieve accreditation.

And the counsellors that would be assisted first were those without any certification, said Mr. Douglas.

Many people had joined the field because they were motivated in the area -- not necessarily skilled.

What certification desired to do was mesh the desire with skills, he explained, and show participants had a recognised level of core knowledge.

Individuals would then have to be reaccredited every two years after meeting the standards initially.

It was important to realise, he stressed, that those seeking certification would not be "grand-fathered''.

Instead a time-line would be established and counsellors would receive the necessary training during that period to reach the next level of certification.

And this competency in the field would extend to all those involved in it -- not just counsellors, added Mr. Douglas.

Anyone who dealt with patients -- volunteers, aides, receptionists -- would be encouraged to meet standard qualifications as they were all part of the client's healing process.

Even physicians and psychologists could get involved and seek accreditation, he said.