Hidden Addictions

Course overview

Assessment Practices for Psychotherapists, Counselors and Health Providers This book helps clinicians understand how to assess for and recognize addictive behaviors and their consequences. The focus is on the types of client's psychotherapists are most likely to see, that is, client's who come into treatment asking for help with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or marital problems. Addictive behaviors are defined broadly to include substance-based addictions and those that arise from excessive behaviors, also know as process addictions. This book is intended for professional in the mental health fields who, whether they currently know it or not, work with persons who have or may develop addictions. This book will help them identify a client's addictive use of a mood-altering substance or behavior and its impact on the process and outcome of psychotherapy. Attention is paid to the reasons why addictions often go unrecognized in psychotherapy. This book is an excellent resource for learning about structured as well as interview-based methods of addiction assessment. The assessment process is presented in a manner that can be seamlessly integrated into the ongoing dialogue between patient and treatment provider.