SUD Family Therapy and Race Ethnicity Sexual Orientation and Military Factors

Course overview

This course is based upon material published as an update to a previously published Treatment Improvement Protocol by SAMHSA and is available as an open-access article. This course is part of a Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) that will guide providers in delivering family-based SUD treatment that is culturally responsive and evidence based. It addresses general information about diverse family cultures and why you, as a provider, need to be aware of their specific treatment/service needs and challenges. This course also reviews culturally responsive family counseling, background issues, and aspects of family structure and functioning in specific populations. This will help guide your approach to meeting the needs of families from a cultural perspective. Specific family cultures (e.g., families of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender [LGBT] members; military families), with summaries of recent scientific evidence on the use of family based interventions for SUDs with each population as well as suggestions for how to culturally tailor interventions to get the best outcomes. This course is not a comprehensive summary of all family cultures. The literature on the effectiveness of family counseling for SUDs in specific cultures is limited but is discussed in this course. The populations discussed in this course are commonly seen in SUD treatment settings and often have specific cultural practices. The focus is on families and how family-based interventions can be adapted to, and thus more effective for, specific family cultures discussed here (i.e., those of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, LGBT families, and military families). This course is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of research-based family therapy interventions for SUD. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. Authors: SAMHSA Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding integrated family counseling and the treatment of SUD. Specifically, a professional will: Identify why culturally competent family counseling is essential in the treatment of SUD. Describe specific strategies for family therapy with LGBT clients. Describe specific strategies for family therapy with clients in the military. Summarize the differences between cultural competency and cultural awareness. Citation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Family Therapy. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 39. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP20-02-02-012. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2020. Chapter 5.