The education of addiction counselors, once based on tradition, myth and politics, is becoming professionalized, based on competencies, research and best practice. Many factors have contributed to this shift as subspecialties for addiction treatment have emerged in various disciplines. In 1993 the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment created the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Program to foster improvements in the preparation of treatment professionals. A curriculum committee developed a set of 121 competencies for practice. A survey was conducted to validate the competencies, determine gaps between actual and needed competencies displayed by entry-level counselors, and determine congruence among the perceptions of three practitioner groups: clinical supervisors, least experienced counselors, and most proficient counselors. Results for demographics, data reduction procedures, validation of the 121 competencies, gaps between actual and needed competencies, congruence among perceptions of counselor groups, and competency subsets are reported. Large gaps were observed between what competencies counselors need to do the job and the competencies they possess. Discussion includes validation issues, the further usefulness of the survey findings, and the competencies list. Tables present demographics and needs assessment; the complete "Addiction Counselor Competencies" document developed by the committee is appended. (EMK)