Counseling Approaches to Promote Recovery From Problematic Substance Use Part 1: Recovery Foundations

Course overview

Problematic substance use presents a significant public health and social concern in the United States. It affects individuals, families, and communities and is associated with a range of health, social, and economic consequences, which include healthcare expenses, lost work productivity, criminal justice-related costs, and losses from motor vehicle crashes. Given the prevalence of problematic substance use in the general population, and especially among people receiving mental health services, mental health professionals are likely to have clients at risk for or with past or active problematic use who would benefit from recovery-oriented counseling. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Counseling Approaches to Promote Recovery From Problematic Substance Use: Recovery Foundations strives to provide social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists with a current, evidence-based understanding of recovery-oriented approaches and tools necessary to address this growing national problem. Traditional acute, episodic and specialized treatment focusing on perceived client deficits and provider-determined goals (e.g., total abstinence) has evolved into recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSC) that take a long-term, coordinated, client-driven, and holistic approach to addressing problematic substance use among individuals. This learning material begins by defining historical and current conceptualizations of problematic substance abuse, recovery, and treatment. It reviews numerous research-based risk factors that contribute to problematic substance abuse, and outlines screening tools that may be used with at-risk individuals. Most importantly, the learning material presents a ROSC which includes several components, such as setting appropriate goals, exploring various pathways to recovery, and addressing recurrence in clients with substance use disorders. With this guidance, clinicians may more effectively assist their adult clients on their chosen pathways of recovery, from harm reduction to abstinence.