How to Conduct Quality Substance Abuse Evaluations

Course overview

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common, affecting at least 1 of 3 adult Americans at some point in their lives. One of the many characteristics of SUDs that makes them unique is that the nature of the addictive process is such that denial, minimization, and lack of insight are a natural component of the development of the disorder. Accordingly, clients often deny, minimize, rationalize, and under-report, both intentionally and unintentionally, making clinical and forensic evaluations very challenging. Additionally, there are many incentives for clients to avoid full disclosure, because the stakes are often so high (e.g., child custody evaluations, employment evaluations, etc