For Treatment Specialists, personal and professional progress can be enhanced by strategies that include continuing education, staying up-to-date with scientific literature, networking with peers, and establishing links with other community resources that may assist your clients in quitting.
 

Roles and Responsibilities
 
As a Treatment Specialist, you are encouraged to embark on a life-long learning experience that promises to be both exciting and challenging. A Treatment Specialist acts as a cessation counselor, a resource for other professionals, and a leader in the field of tobacco cessation

1. As a cessation counselor you will:

• Conduct intensive tobacco cessation programs, such as American Lung Association's "Freedom from Smoking," American Cancer Society's "Fresh Start," American Institute for Preventive Medicine's "Smokeless," or others;
  
• Assist tobacco users in the process of quitting;
  
• Assume responsibility for tobacco cessation evaluation data collection (CIF);
  
• Refer clients with other addictions or diseases to appropriate medical providers.

2. As a resource for other professionals you may be asked to:

• Conduct presentations about nicotine dependence and treatment options at your work or at a variety of community gatherings;
  
• Advise other health professionals in the treatment of nicotine dependent clients;
  
• Assist professionals at schools, workplaces, or healthcare facilities in setting up procedures to identify tobacco users and provide effective treatment options;
  
• Make referrals for Basic Intervention Skills and other tobacco-related trainings.

3. As a leader in the field of tobacco cessation you may find yourself:

• Advocating for tobacco control and cessation services in your community;
  
• Participating in community coalitions to promote additional tobacco-free policies for public places;
  
• Educating professionals in workplaces about the health consequences of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS).