Addiction has been conceptualized in various ways throughout history, leading to ongoing debates about its definition and the most effective approaches to treatment. While healthcare professionals and paraprofessionals have long been involved in addiction treatment, there remains a lack of consensus on the best practices for addressing addiction and training of professionals in this area. Although addiction-specific standards have been integrated into counseling programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) since 2009, the latest change of CACREP standards in 2024 has removed addiction standards from all non-addiction specialty tracks. This removal may exacerbate existing concerns regarding students' perceived lack of readiness and self-efficacy in working with individuals struggling with substance use disorders and addictions, as reported in previous research and academic literature (Astramovich & Hoskins, 2013; Chasek et al., 2012; Goluboviv et al., 2021; Kerwin et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to address this gap by exploring experts' perspectives on the importance of specific elements within addiction education and training, to best inform future CACREP curriculum and development of counselors-in-training (CIT). The research question: "How do experts within the addiction field rank the importance of knowledge, skills, and awareness necessary for adequate addiction training and best practices?". The study employed a mixed methods approach called Q methodology to analyze the data collected. Through open-ended questionnaires, experts in the field of addiction provided their insights on the most important to most unimportant knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to adequately prepare CITs to work with clients experiencing addiction and addiction related concerns. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]