What Is PACCT?
The Project for Addictions Cultural Competency Training Program (PACCT) is a recruitment and training program funded through the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and is an important workforce development effort.

The goal of the Project for Addictions Cultural Competency Training is to increase the number of qualified addiction counselor candidates who represent historically under-represented groups such as Latino, African Origin, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.

Across the state and the nation, there is a shortage of addictions counselors who are culturally representative of those in our communities who are experiencing some of the greatest substance abuse problems, and who are also having poor experiences with prevention, treatment and recovery services. For substance abuse service providers, cultural competency is a requirement, to better understand the role and impact of one's own culture and to provide the most culturally appropriate services to individuals and communities in order to facilitate more positive outcomes.

PACCT is a program funded by The State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services and managed by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Multicultural Leadership Institute, Inc.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) functions to enhance the delivery of the DMHAS system of care services for mental health and substance use disorders in a way that acknowledges the impact of individual differences on client treatment, differences such as race, ethnic or cultural background, age, gender, sexual orientation, and physical or mental status. The Goal of the Office of Multicultural Affairs is to assure that cultural competence is an integral element of all services that DMHAS provides for people of every ethnic/cultural group.

The Multicultural Leadership Institute, Inc. is a fiscal co-sponsor and co-administers the PACCT program along with the DMHAS-OMA . MLI, Inc. is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) who's mission is to provide leadership for positive change through multicultural education, information exchange processes, development and implementation of cultural competency standards and fostering knowledge and skills to enhance service delivery systems and communities.