Introduction to the ASAM Criteria, Fourth Edition: Enhancing Treatment Planning in Justice Settings
Presenter: Julie Seitz
Date & Time: August 12, 2025 | 12:00 AM EST | 75 minutes

Session Description:
This session offers a foundational introduction to the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM PPC) Fourth Edition, focusing on its application within treatment court settings. As the field transitions from the Third to the Fourth Edition, treatment providers are expected to align their assessment, placement, and care planning practices with the updated criteria. Participants will explore the evolution of the ASAM Criteria, review key updates in the Fourth Edition, and deepen their understanding of the six assessment dimensions and the continuum of care. Through practical examples, this session will demonstrate how the ASAM framework supports individualized treatment planning, accurate placement decisions, and improved outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Attendees will leave with greater confidence in applying the ASAM Criteria to guide ethical, evidence-based care across all phases of treatment court involvement.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify key updates in the ASAM PPC Fourth Edition and explain their relevance to addiction treatment in justice settings.

2. Apply the six dimensions of the ASAM assessment to develop individualized, clinically driven treatment plans.

3. Use the ASAM Criteria to guide level of care decisions that support continuity of care and recovery outcomes for treatment court participants.


Speaker Bio:

Julie Seitz, LGSW, LADC, Julie Seitz LGSW, MSW, LADC is a Project Director with Impaired Driving Solutions (IDS), All Rise (formerly NADCP) division, providing training and technical assistance to the treatment court field. Julie joined IDS in 2018, bringing over 20 years of experience in the clinical sector and community program development. Before joining IDS, Julie was the clinical director of an internationally recognized treatment center offering the entire continuum of clinical care, including a first-of-its-kind direct access opioid withdrawal unit, where she was the project lead. Identifying the barriers to accessing treatment, Julie worked collaboratively as an advocate for systems change while ensuring clients’ voices and choices were honored. Recognizing the many pathways to recovery and the need for additional recovery services, she worked with a small team to develop and launch a recovery community organization serving rural communities in northern Minnesota. Julie spent ten years as the treatment provider with the Minnesota Sixth Judicial District DWI and Mental Health courts, which are recognized for their excellence at state and national levels. As a published author and clinician, she has spent the last 25 years of her career giving clients a voice. Her work with clients has focused on feedback-informed, research, and outcome-driven practice. As a fierce advocate for education and growing the field, she is also an adjunct professor at the College of St. Scholastica in the Master of Social Work program. Julie has trained at the local, national, and international levels. Julie lives in northern Minnesota with her family and is an avid knitter.