Substance Abuse: Information for School Counselors, Social Workers, Therapists, and Counselors

by Gary L. Fisher, Thomas C. Harrison

Weaving actual clinical examples with solid research, Substance Abuse continues to provide counseling, social work, and other students with a detailed overview of the alcohol and other drug (AOD) field. Now in its Third Edition, this text provides updated coverage and practical clinical examples to reflect the rapid changes in the field of addiction. In a reader-friendly style, the authors present balanced coverage of various treatment models as well as objective discussions of the controversies in the field. The text covers topics spanning the entire field–pharmacology, assessment and diagnosis, treatment, recovery, prevention, children, families, and other addictions–providing students with a broad view of the AOD field as well as the pervasiveness of the problem in all areas of behavioral health and general fields.

Genres: Psychology, Textbooks, Social Work, Counselling

382 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated several things about this book. I was very impressed that they applied addiction counseling to a diverse array of counseling professions that would not normally expect to do a lot of addiction work. This was perfect for my situation. The authors also intentionally made the writing style straight forward and even whimsical sometimes. This made the chapters flow by quickly, which leads to my last appreciation: short but sweet chapters! It was a pleasure to be assigned reading in this textbook.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of addiction & addiction treatment. Would have loved to have seen a larger section on SUD in the older adult population and avoidance of the term “elderly” in the few paragraphs where this population was discussed. When reading a textbook, one anticipates a “dry” read; however, this text was very easy to read and understand. It was almost conversational in places. I also appreciated the use of case examples. However, knocking off one star because some of the statistics and research cited within the material needs updating to more recent material/numbers.

[Lavanial · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading on the various forms of substance abuse prevalent in society as well as the treatment options and of course, preventative methods.

[Jessica Buzzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Addiction Treatment and Prevention graduate course. Really enjoyed this textbook. Lots of useful information provided in an easily digestible format

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an assigned text for a class. It is informative, concise, and accessibile.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the second edition of this book from my university days when I was working towards a Bachelor degree in Social Work. While I never had a strong interest to work full time in the addictions field as an addictions counselor - obviously, no matter which field you end up working in, you will more than likely at some point in time have to deal with addictions. The authors do well to discuss the various types of addictions be it to alcohol or other drugs, sex, food etc. They discuss relapse prevention and generalist training approaches. This book is a good addition for any counselor, social worker or therapist's professional library. It is an easy & non-judgmental read.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about alcohol and other drugs (AOD) abuse designed for non AOD counselors. (Me, when I'll be a school counselor.) Considering that that was the purpose of this book...I do feel that some of the chapters were very VERY specific for a 'generalist' mental health care provider. However, what countered this was that I found myself pretty interested in (most) of the chapters, and wanted to read about the issues. There were a few chapters where I asked myself "Why is this in a substance abuse book??"..but for the most part enjoyed the read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was easy to read as it was student user friendly. This book at times is somewhat repetitive; however, there is only so many topics you can cover in regards to substance abuse. The treatment portion of the book was very interesting. I would recommend this book to any professor to utilize for a college course.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the more interesting textbooks I've read in grad school.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a BLAST reading TEXT BOOKS!!! UGH - I want to read some mindless fun fiction!!!!