UMASS Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) Core Training
Who is a Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS)?
Tobacco Treatment Specialists (TTS) are professionals trained to provide evidence-based treatment to tobacco users. This treatment may include individual or group counseling, and guidance in the use of pharmacotherapy. TTSs provide tobacco treatment services in various work-settings e.g. a doctor's office. Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP) the agency that accredits TTS training programs provides broader definition of TTSs here.
Why become a Tobacco Treatment Specialist?
Participants have different reasons for attending the training. Some of their motivation includes enhancing their ability to:
- provide evidence based treatment to tobacco users or clients/patients who want to stop using tobacco.
- educate colleagues, stakeholders & other professionals about the importance of providing tobacco treatment services.
- participate in tobacco treatment grant funded projects.
- add to their professional growth and development.
CTTRT Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) Core Training
Center for Tobacco Treatment Research & Training (CTTRT) at UMass Chan Medical School is committed to providing evidence-based tobacco treatment training. The TTS Core training provided by CTTRT is the cornerstone of the center’s TTS training program. This is an intensive, interactive, 4-day, in-person, evidence-based training. It's designed for persons who deliver moderate to intensive tobacco treatment services within a health care or community setting. The training consists of 6 modules that address a set of core competencies for tobacco treatment specialists. as defined by the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD). CTTRT has provided the TTS Core training since 1999. We've trained over 2600 TTSs from various professional backgrounds from all over the world.
Who is eligible to attend CTTRT Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) Core Training?
Health workers and other professionals who want to master core competencies for providing evidenced-based tobacco treatment are eligible to attend. Participants must successfully complete Basic Skills for Working with Smokers.
What topics are covered in the training?
The following are the topics covered in the six modules presented in the training;
- Determinants of Tobacco Use Disorder.
- Guidelines for Systems and Professionals.
- Motivational Interviewing: Learning the Basics.
- Pharmacotherapy for Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder.
- Cognitive and Behavioral Treatment Strategies.
- Intake, Assessment and Treatment Planning.
Do you offer Education Credits/CEUs for attending the TTS Core Training?
Various education credits are offered including; CHES/MCHES (22.5 CEUs), and Social Workers (22.5 CEUs). Mental Health Counselors (22.5 clock hours) and RNs/LPNs (22.5 contact hours). More information on the education credits can be found by visiting the TTS Core training main webpage.
What past participants say about the training
‘Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) Training has been invaluable to our community. Our county has a higher rate of tobacco use than our state or the nation. Addressing tobacco addiction has become a priority as we have worked to transform our health care delivery system. UMASS’s TTS training provides skills and tools our health care providers need to improve their confidence to address tobacco dependence. The trainings have been especially important for our behavioral health providers. These are providers who see the need to address tobacco but frequently lacked skills to feel confident in addressing it’. Jennifer Webster, MA, MPH, Lane County, OR
For more information about the TTS Core Training go to; TTS Core training main webpage, or the training’s FAQs page. You can also send us an email to cttrt@umassmed.edu.
