Speaker(s):

Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC

Presentation: Addictions and mental illness overlap at the rate of 50 percent. Compared to clients with a single diagnosis, those with co-occurring disorders experience more relapses, arrests, hospitalizations, evictions, suicide attempts, and completed suicides. In this skill-building workshop, participants will be introduced to strategies to effectively work with clients with co-occurring disorders.

A partial list of topics includes: Challenges in Diagnosing a Dual Disorder; The 5 Hidden Psychiatric Disorders Common among Clients with Chemical Dependence; The New Person-centered Approach to Co-occurring Disorders Treatment; Evidence-based Approaches to Co-occurring Disorders Treatment; How to Address the 4 Psychiatric Disorders that Co-occur the Most Frequently with Chemical Dependence; and 10 Strategies for Helping Clients with Co-occurring Disorders Avoid Slipping through the Cracks.

Objectives:

  • List 7 challenges in assessing mental illness among chemically dependent clients and how to overcome them
  • Discuss 5 hidden psychiatric disorders common among clients with chemical dependence
  • Identify strategies for overcoming resistance when working with clients who have a co-occurring disorder
  • Reveal the 10 tenets of the new person-centered approach to co-occurring disorders treatment
  • Review 3 evidence-based approaches to co-occurring disorders treatment
  • Discuss treatment of 4 psychiatric disorders that co-occur with chemical dependent clients
  • Define 10 strategies to help clients with co-occurring disorders avoid slipping through the cracks