Assignment: Steps of Addictions Assessment Processes

Addiction may take many forms. A person may be addicted to a substance, such as cocaine, or a behavior, such as gambling. Individuals who enter into addictions assessment generally have exhibited certain hallmarks of addiction, such as an increase in the behavior, problems in relationships and life functioning, and withdrawal symptoms upon ceasing the behavior.

Someone with a potential addiction may be facing a host of issues. He or she might require medical and/or legal help. A teenager may be a minor requiring parental consent for any treatment and might already be receiving help from a guidance counselor or school psychologist. It is true that individual assessments have unique features and should be tailored to the needs of and aspects related to each individual being assessed. However, there are important steps common to most assessments that allow addictions professionals to gather reliable, valid, and relevant information about the clients they serve, as well as to enlist the best set of professionals to form the multidisciplinary team.

This week, you describe the steps of a standard addictions assessment and reflect on the importance of using a multidisciplinary team.

To prepare:

Review the Learning Resources, including the following:

Perkinson, R. R. (2017). Chemical dependency counseling: A practical guide (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Chapter 1, “The First Contact”
• Chapter 14, “The Clinical Staff”

Submit a 2 page paper that includes the following:

• The steps of an addictions assessment
• An explanation of why each step is important
• One example of a multidisciplinary team and the contribution each of the team members might make to the assessment