The Tobacco Addiction Specialist Certification course, run from the University of Florida, is a “curriculum based NAADAC Certification Program designed to credential the professional tobacco addiction specialist”. It is online at http://www.smokerstreatmentcenter.com/ and is the only nationally certified course for tobacco cessation counsellors in the USA. It is endorsed by NAADAC (National Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Coordinators), the major professional group for chemical dependency counsellors in the USA.

This web based course contains much fascinating and absorbing material and some good practical resources for trainers. However I think most mainstream tobacco cessation counsellors and researchers will find its approach somewhat unorthodox and will be concerned that significant amounts of its content are not based on scientific evidence.

The course’s educational philosophy is summarised thus: “The course philosophy: foundational knowledge of tobacco addiction is essential; …