Is the addiction caused by mental health issues? Or are mental health issues the result of the addiction? All too often the debate arises on how to best treat concurrent disorders. If a client is sober, then you are free to start treating their depression, right? But...
Essential skills can come in many forms. Often we perceive knowledge and ability as the most important skills for our staff and coworkers to possess. Sometimes, however, the simple skill of having the ability to see past a person’s faults and be curious about...
“Meet people where they are at.” The most basic tenet of harm reduction. Passing judgment, making assumptions and having unrealistic expectations for our clients can cause more harm than it prevents. Instead, a harm-reduction approach suggests that...
Even if you don’t work directly in addiction services, it is important to understand the major treatment strategies and issues involved in drug use and misuse. Having a variety of treatment strategies in your toolkit to help support your clients can be...
Do users need to get clean before they can effectively access supports? Or do they need to access support systems in order to get clean? Often the amount of support needed to promote effective change in any client is more than any one agency can provide. Collaboration...