When attempting to assess an individual for coping mechanisms, therapists are often on the lookout for the more dangerous mechanisms first. As a result, for those clients with whom you suspect substance abuse to be a problem, your first step would be:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Asking the client for a history may result in inaccurate results on which to base your treatment; engaging harm reduction or encouraging AA automatically provides the client with the assumption that they are using; referring the client for an assessment does not indicate an assumption one way or the other and allows the results to speak to whether or not it needs to be pursued in treatment.

When Attempting to Assess an Individual for Coping Mechanisms, Therapists