Exam 28: The Assessment of Suspected Substance Use Disorders

Jerry is a substance abuse counselor working with a client, Ned.Through completing a thorough assessment, Jerry has discovered that Ned has developed tolerance to cocaine, is preoccupied with using cocaine, has come to work high on cocaine, and continues to use cocaine despite his desire to quit, often to ward off symptoms of withdrawal. Based on this information, Jerry

When making a diagnosis of a substance use disorder, the client's motivation for seeking treatment services is considered irrelevant and inconsequential.

What are some of the pitfalls that may influence an inexperienced clinician in his or her process of conducting a screening, assessment, and diagnosis of a client's potential substance use disorder?

One of the problems of the SASSI-3 is that it

You are an addictions counselor in private practice.You have referred a client to an intensive treatment program based on his history of binge drinking, as a person with an alcohol dependence problem.The client's pastor calls to challenge your recommendation on the grounds that the individual in question had a low score on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST).Your best response would be

What are the types of "response sets" that might distort the assessor's opinions of the client's SUD? What are ways to mitigate these?

A person who has been found to have a "dirty" urine toxicology test for the first time a substance addiction.

The assessor, while functioning as a "gatekeeper" for the admissions process,

A client reports spending "only $100" a week on alcohol, but becomes indignant when you report that this is over $5,000 a year for alcohol.This is an example of

After Jerry, a substance abuse counselor, has diagnosed his client Ned with a substance use disorder that centers on cocaine misuse, what additional information might Jerry want to get to inform the treatment plan?