Counselors are responsible for recommending the appropriate level of care for clients; this means being able to identify all the relevant issues including mental health concerns in addition to substance use disorders. Many symptoms of mental health issues overlap with symptoms of substance use and/or the aftermath of substance use. Expanding counselor’s skills and knowledge of the similarities and differences supports the counselor’s making sound level of care decisions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
•Identify symptoms that overlap between mental health diagnoses and substance use disorder
diagnoses; and
•Determine when a client needs referral for additional and/or different level of care.