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The Underrated Superhero Tools for Substance Use Counselors

The Underrated Superhero

Resources
for Clinicians

“What to Say When” Script Card

Quick Overview

Your brain goes blank in these moments. It just does. You’re sitting across from a client who just told you they used, or you’re staring at a positive test result, or a PO is on the phone telling you your client needs consequences — and you can’t think of the right words. This tool gives you those words. It’s not a script you read verbatim — it’s a starting point you adapt to your style and your client. The language is designed to keep the clinical conversation first and the court conversation second, which is harder than it sounds when the system is built to do it the other way around. Print it, keep it in your session folder, and stop trying to improvise the hardest conversations in your week.
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Resource Details

Format

PDF
Category
Basic Resource Center, Mandated Populations, Motivation & Readiness, Quick Reference
Best for
Counselors who are early in their careers and haven’t yet built the muscle memory for these conversations. The four scenarios cover the situations that generate the most anxiety for clinicians working with mandated clients — the ones where saying the wrong thing can damage the therapeutic alliance or escalate a legal consequence. It’s also a strong tool for clinical supervisors to use in role-play during supervision, walking supervisees through each scenario so the language feels familiar before they need it in a real session. If you’ve ever walked out of a session thinking “I should have said that differently,” this card is built for you.

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