The third edition of A Contemporary Approach to Substance Use Disorders and Addiction Counseling includes new sections on harm reduction strategies, medication-assisted therapy and the use of telebehavioral health therapy in treatment.
Tag: Substance Abuse & Addictions
The mental health workforce in the United States is a leader in mental health and substance abuse treatment innovation. Currently, the vast majority of treatment focus is on the relatively small portion of the population that is substance dependent, but those with an “at-risk” level of use may go untreated.
The most important tools a counselor can use to help a client struggling with addiction or substance abuse are genuine compassion and a deep understanding, say Ford Brooks and Bill McHenry, licensed professional counselors (LPCs) and co-authors of the second edition of A Contemporary Approach to Substance Use Disorders and
A 40-year-old man enters counseling to deal with “relationship issues.” He says his marriage is failing due to his use of online pornography and that his financial situation is in constant peril because of high gambling debts. He adds that he drinks alcohol daily and fears he is dependent on it to
Drunk. Junkie. Loser. These are just some of the ugly labels that get thrown around when people talk about addiction. Labels that reinforce the belief that addiction happens to “other” people — or other counselors’ clients. Counselors know that addiction is a disease, of course. But it’s a disease with
Mental health treatment has greatly improved over the past century. It has moved away from exiling patients to mental “hospitals” and instead offers inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, individual therapy, group therapy and several other options. There is, however, one specific mental health population that is underserved and underrepresented time and
The process to become a licensed professional counselor (LPC) qualifies the license-holder to work with clients who present with posttraumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders and other diagnoses listed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5 ). Why then, would addiction –
The number of online gamblers who exhibit problem gambling behaviors has increased dramatically in the past decade, according to reports. However, online gambling addiction did not find its way into the soon-to-be published fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), and future editions don’t seem
As I (Laura) prepare to see another patient, I read the quick details indicating he has an alcohol-related injury. His blood work showed an alcohol level of .16, two times the legal limit of intoxication. He fell off a ladder and has a mild concussion with a nasty cut above his
As practicing counselors, we all have clients who are “easier” than others. The easy clients are motivated toward change, take action on established goals and internalize feedback readily. The other side of that coin is that we also have clients who are more difficult. They are not motivated toward change, do