Psychological Treatment of Medical Patients Struggling With Harmful Substance Use

Clinical health psychologists often encounter patients needing interventions for substance use, yet rarely do practitioners receive specialized training in this area. This book is designed for mental health providers in medical settings who need the knowledge and skills to assess and treat conditions relevant to substance use.

Clinical health psychologists often encounter patients needing interventions for substance use, yet rarely do practitioners receive specialized training in this area. Psychological Treatment of Medical Patients With Harmful Substance Use is designed for mental health providers in medical settings who need the knowledge and skills to assess and treat conditions relevant to substance use.  This book is especially useful for mental health providers who treat adult medical outpatients for whom substance use is not their primary presenting problem. The authors clarify the distinction between nonharmful and harmful substance use, describe the signs and symptoms of substance use disorders, epidemiology, current models denoting biological and socio-cultural causes, and contributing factors (with an emphasis on cardiac, cancer, women's health, and primary care settings). They offer best-practice assessment strategies, and psychological, self-help and pharmacological treatments.  Chapters also describe assessment and intervention for conditions that are often comorbid with substance use, including depression, anxiety, and sleep dysregulation, as well as treatment for family members who are dealing with a loved one's harmful substance use, relapse prevention and continuing care.

Table of Contetns

• Series Foreword
• Introduction
• Part 1: Overview of Substance Use
• Chapter 1: Mental Health Professionals Guide to Understanding Harmful Substance Use
• Chapter 2: Etiology and Socio-Cultural Aspects of Harmful Substance Use
• Chapter 3: Levels of Care and Standard Treatments for Harmful Substance Use
• Chapter 4: Assessment and Brief Intervention for Harmful Substance Use in the Medical Setting
• Part II: Psychological Assessment and Intervention for Common Co-Morbid Problems
• Chapter 5: Assessment and Treatment of Depression
• Chapter 6: Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety
• Chapter 7: Assessment and Treatment of Sleep Dysregulation
• Chapter 8: Psychological Treatment of the Family
• Chapter 9: Relapse Prevention and Aftercare
• Chapter 10: Future Directions of Practice
• References
• Index
• About the Authors