Developing Standards for Accreditation

Abstract Standards development is a continuous process that relies on an inclusive, consensus-building methodology to ensure that standards maintain relevance in an ever-changing field. This article provides an overview of the framework for the Council on Accreditation (COA) Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Standards, and details the steps in the standards development process that resulted in both the first and current editions of the COA EAP Standards and Self-Study Manual. Areas of emphasis for future standards development are described.