Counseling Approaches

Substance abuse is an important social and public health issue in the United States. As a result of increased public awareness of the negative consequences associated with drug and alcohol abuse, more and more people are entering treatment, both voluntarily and involuntarily (i.e., mandated). Therapists working with substance-abusing clients typically employ strategies, techniques, and skills to guide the treatment process and to help the client deal with his or her concerns. In particular, most therapists conceptualize their clients based on a preferred counseling model, and using this framework, they develop treatment plans based on the presenting client issues and needs. Consequently, a multitude of different approaches have been developed to treat substance abusing patients. In fact, the past 20 years has seen tremendous progress in ...