Universal Treatment Curricula (UTC) Refresher Training and International Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP) Examination for Treatment Practitioners in Pakistan

Working jointly the International Society of Substance Use Professional (ISSUP) Pakistan National Chapter and Drug Advisory Program (DAP) of the Colombo Plan, in collaboration with the US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Pakistan, organized a three-day UTC refresher training followed by ICAP examination for Pakistani substance use treatment professionals on November 21-24, 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan.

A total of 86 treatment practitioners including 37 from Punjab province, 22 from Sindh province, 14 from Islamabad, 9 from Baluchistan and 4 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province attended the training and examination. Breakdown of treatment practitioners appeared in the ICAP examination includes 39 in ICAP-I, 39 in ICAP-II, 5/Five in ICAP-III and four in Recovery Support examinations. These practitioners are mainly comprised of psychiatrics, psychologists, counsellors, medical doctors, and social workers from different substance use treatment centers both in public and private sectors across the country. The three-day training was delivered in three group of participants by the Colombo Plan national UTC trainers supervised by the DAP Senior Advisor.

In the closing ceremony, ISSUP Pakistan Chapter President Mr. Bashir Ahmad Naz and DAP Senior Advisor Muhammad Ayub distributed training completion certificates among the participants and plaques of appreciation among the trainers. ISSUP Pakistan Chapter President reiterated his commitment to continue working with DAP for the capacity building and credentialing treatment workforce in Pakistan.