Addiction Professional

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

No lack of opinions on marijuana.(Letter From the Editor)
I have consistently found that while alcohol remains the most pervasive substance affecting the individuals our readers serve, marijuana elicits the highest number of responses from readers when it . . .

Words of wisdom on evidence-based treatment.(Letters)
I recently read an excellent online article from David Mee-Lee, MD, on evidence-based treatment. I have been a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor and nurse specialist in addictions for man . . .

Support for change in alcohol treatment.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Mark L. Willenbring, MD's cover article "New research is redefining alcohol disorders" (September/October 2008 issue) represents the kind of out-of-the-box, forward thinking our profession needs. No . . .

Address tobacco use at your facility.(Letters)
For years treatment centers and hospitals have not fully addressed tobacco and its impact on staff, patients and recovery. Policies from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM); NAADAC, Th . . .

Pets in treatment: a residential program finds a new dimension of healing when clients stay with their animals.
Many people were touched this year by actor Mickey Rourke's Golden Globe award acceptance speech, in which he thanked his dogs for always being there for him. Rourke later spoke about how his pets h . . .

Questions: for productive treatment sessions: here are some ways to get clients to participate more openly.
Some substance abuse clients are easy to work with, and some are not. Some are accurate reporters, some have selective memories, and some are chronic liars. Bottom line: It can be a challenge gettin . . .

The 12 steps: building the evidence base: the latest research initiatives seek insight into how spirituality affects recovery.
Practicing the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has a profound and positive impact on abstinence from substances and on life functioning. These benefits occur whether the Steps are worked as pa . . .

Eating disorders: not just a 'woman's problem': treatment programs must consider likelihood of comorbid substance use in males.
That boy you are treating for cocaine dependence might have an eating disorder. He might be using the cocaine as an appetite suppressant to facilitate his desire for an ultra skinny, waif-like body, . . .

More than token support: families affected by addiction need formalized and ongoing assistance.
Family is a common concept to nearly everyone. A family is a natural social system with properties of its own--one that involves a set of rules, assigned roles, a power structure, intricate overt an . . .

A broader view of trauma: a leading lecturer and trainer examines trauma in the context of addicted families.
As workers in the helping professions A have become more attuned to the complex family dynamics that contribute to illness and recovery, they have gained a greater appreciation of the many ways in w . . .

Always make self-care a priority.(Road to Recovery)
In this business we've chosen, there is no way to separate counselor wellness from positive client outcomes. If we had chosen work in a widget factory, no matter how horrible or incomplete our lives . . .

Service search.
DRUG TESTING 19 MP Biomedicals www.mpbio.com 13 OraSure Technologies, Inc. www.4intercept.com EDUCATION/TRAINING PROGRAMS 28 American Substance Abuse Professionals . . .

Providers must not accept undue insurance delays.(Management)
Until now, most of the discussion involving our economic crisis has centered on banks and their unwillingness to provide credit to consumers and businesses, despite the infusion of hundreds of billi . . .

Bayside Marin outpatient program.(Environments for Recovery)
A typical downtown location for an outpatient addiction treatment program might occupy a corner in a nondescript office building, a spot selected to be as unobtrusive as possible. But that also mean . . .

A more comprehensive vision.(Technology)
Economic concerns might be stalling technology projects in some addiction treatment organizations, but the CEO of a leading behavioral health software company believes that agencies thinking strateg . . .

Continuing education quiz.
Earn continuing education credits by taking this quiz on the article that begins on page 22 of this issue. A grade of 70% or above will earn you a certificate of completion for two nationally certif . . .

Preparing clients for work.(Recovery)
Scott Silverman was volunteering for a charitable organization in San Diego on a weekly basis, giving back time for those in need after having experienced success in his own recovery. He kept notici . . .

Clarification.(Correction notice)
Clarification: The December 2008 issue article on using outside contractors for services (p. 20) included a misleading statement about patient service associates (PSAs) at the Father Martin's Ashley . . .

A new military strategy: programs' initiative in treating returning veterans spells hope.
Back when he started working with Vietnam veterans more than 25 years ago, Jerry A, Boriskin, PhD, CAS, saw that most helping professionals knew next to nothing about how to address the multiple nee . . .

Understanding the introverted client: programs can do harm by interpreting introversion as resistance.
Introverted behavior and isolation can look deceptively similar in many circumstances. For the 12-Step sponsor or recovery specialist it is critical to sort out exactly what is going on with someone . . .

Transforming fear: a new guided mindfulness meditation can be a useful tool in early recovery.
"The thing I fear most is fear." Michel de Montaigne Fear is an emotion aroused by the perceived threat to one's safety and well-being, and it is one of the greatest obstacles to recovery from c . . .

Treating the high-functioning alcoholic: these individuals' ability to maintain their lives makes the clinician's challenge toug
Susan is a 31-year-old librarian who bad her first drink when she was 11. She didn't go to parties in high school because she was extremely focused on getting into a good college. Susan went to her . . .

Singing a tune of gratitude.(Recovery)(Column)
Mike Farris's music defies restrictive labels- Press material describes his Sunday night live shows in Nashville as "rafter-raisin' boogie stew, equal parts honky-tonk spirit and Christian revival." . . .

Honoring exemplary clinical care.(Letter From the Editor)
The addiction treatment community tends to worry so much about the profession's future that it often neglects to celebrate its workers' significant accomplishments in the present. So it has been ext . . .

2009 Outstanding clinicians awards.
In our first year of presenting awards to honor excellence in clinical care, Addiction Professional has selected a counselor, a clinical manager and a physician who have much different backgrounds b . . .

Repairing partnerships: a Seabrook House therapist reaches out to couples struggling in recovery.
Eddie Luker serves as director of family services at New Jersey-based Seabrook House, managing one of several specialized programs that the addiction treatment facility offers. After successfully sh . . .

A healing triangle: clients learn much about themselves through interactions in equine-assisted therapy.(Report)
Equine-assisted psychotherapy is an experiential modality involving a metaphorical process using a horse or horses as conduits for emotional growth and healing. Horses have been on the earth for abo . . .

A tool to engage jail inmates: a trademarked journaling process shows promise in giving offenders insight on their substance use
Overcrowding has become one of the nation's principal concerns for local jail systems. Not only does overcrowding contribute to incarceration costs, but it also places a disproportionate strain on l . . .

Acknowledging the impact of a client's death; a counselor calls for more support of professionals as they deal with loss.
At this time in my life, many of my memories have faded, but the "flashbulb" moments remain. I remember where I was at age 12 when JFK was shot, and where I was several months later when The Beatles . . .

'Peak-experiences': addiction professionals can help build on the benefits of clients' most fulfilling moments.(Maximizing clien
In addiction counseling, we are constantly on the lookout for effective ways to help our clients. The dominant medical model--emphasizing pathology--has proven to be of limited utility. Its terminol . . .

Help from within the ranks; a program treating gang members finds support from their fellow members.(Report)
Many gang members are addicted to drugs and need help. Sometimes the best help comes from fellow gang members who are doing the right thing. With increased gang involvement in the drug trade, it i . . .

Enterhealth Life recovery center.(Environments for Recovery)(Report)
The layout of the recovery center that was opened for business at the end of 2008 by Dallas-based Enterhealth reflects the organization's stated aim to treat the "brain, body and soul" of its client . . .

Don't fail to innovate in troubling times.(Management)(Report)
This article launches a new column for Addiction Professional on management topics. In this first installment I will attempt to make certain that I not write as a CEO to other CEOs and business lead . . .

Continuing education quiz.
Earn continuing education credits by taking this quiz on the article that begins on page 22 of this issue. A grade of 70% or above will earn you a certificate of completion for two nationally certif . . .

An abiding sense of hope.(Editorial)
As we began planning this issue, which is our third annual Executive Forecast report, we had reason to believe this year's version might take on a gloomier tone than the two before it. Certainly eve . . .

Banking on treatment: an outside investor explains its interest in one of the treatment field's fast-growing providers.
The addiction treatment industry is changing, and with change comes opportunity. In October, our company, Branford Castle, Inc., announced it would become a strategic investment partner with Townsen . . .

Will tough times get tougher? Addiction treatment centers consider merits of growth strategies in today's economy.
No answers, new questions. That has seemed to be the prevailing theme in the final months of 2008 for anyone who runs an organization--nonprofit or for-profit, private or public. For addiction treat . . .

Preparing for a transition: Seabrook House takes a proactive approach to leadership succession.
When Denise Adams took over as vice president of human resources at Seabrook House in southern New Jersey about 18 months ago, the nonprofit treatment organization's board of directors immediately p . . .

Farming out services: treatment centers look to mission in deciding whether to enlist outside contractors.
The move to hire outside contractors rather than using in-house staff for an organizational function represents an important business consideration for any company, but for addiction treatment cente . . .

Strengthening the addiction workforce: combating recruitment and retention challenges will require bolder initiatives.
Some government estimates place the healthcare and other societal costs associated with the nation's alcohol and drug use problems in excess of $300 billion. Amid rising labor costs, a shrinking poo . . .

New River Cove.(Environments for Recovery)
When people hear of New River Cove's lush, tropical location not far from Mayan ruins in Central America, they wrongly assume that this is one of those centers that mainly caters to celebrities. Yet . . .

When today's conveniences pose a distraction.(Technology)
At the same time that addiction treatment facilities are becoming more technologically sophisticated, many leaders of these centers remain hesitant to loosen rules that generally restrict clients' a . . .

Backing a variety of testing vehicles.(Drug Testing)
Urine screens traditionally have been the favored mechanism for drug testing efforts, whether ordered by an addiction treatment center, a court jurisdiction, or a workplace. Yet an administrator of . . .

Continuing education quiz.
Earn continuing education credits by taking this quiz on the article that begins on page 23 of this issue. A grade of 70% or above will earn you a certificate of completion for two nationally certif . . .

Can't stop the fight for equity.(Letter From the Editor)
The Friday afternoon when Congress and President Bush successfully concluded 12 years of toil in the behavioral health field over insurance fairness provided stirring theater for those of us who hav . . .

Clarification.
The Prince William County, Virginia project described in the article "Technology transfer on Main Street" in the September/October 2008 issue was funded in part by cooperative agreement 5UD1T1013415 . . .

Disputing association between marijuana and death.(Letter)(Letter to the editor)
The July/August 2008 issue carried an article in which author Aaron Norton wrote in reference to marijuana that "the potential accumulated risks can be very severe, up to and including death." Since . . .

Respecting tradition: father Joseph Martin and the center he co-founded prepare for the future but gain strength from the past.
in a weekly ritual after delivering the Sunday chapel service at the treatment program he runs, Father Mark Hushen takes the short drive to the house where Father Joseph Martin resides with his co-f . . .

How we got there, where we go next: the new law's success will rest on educating the public about treatment.(Parity)
By late September, addiction treatment advocates were more than a little anxious. Eighteen months of historic progress on a congressional bill to end insurance discrimination against mental health a . . .

Does the counselor's gender matter? a clinician of the same sex doesn't always produce optimal results.
In the halls of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), there is general agreement that men should sponsor men and women should sponsor women. In fact, many (heterosexual) newcomers are discouraged from socializ . . .