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The Underrated Superhero Tools for Substance Use Counselors

The Underrated Superhero

Resources
for Clinicians

Which Path? Assessing Resistance Flowchart

Quick Overview

A visual decision-making guide that starts at client intake and helps you read what you’re seeing – from body language and short answers to long pauses and “I don’t know” responses. Each step includes clickable hotspots with specific techniques: how to open dialogue with someone who doesn’t want to be there, what concerns might be driving their resistance, how to navigate ambivalence without rushing past it, and how to strengthen motivation when they’re ready. Includes example phrases throughout so you know exactly what to say.
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Resource Details

Format

PDF, Interactive
Category
Justice Involved Clients, Clinical Decision-Making
Best for
New and early-career addiction counselors working with mandated clients who want a clear framework for reading client behavior and responding effectively. Especially useful for clinicians who feel stuck when clients seem resistant or shut down, or who aren’t sure whether to push forward with assessment or slow down and build rapport first. Also helpful for supervisors who want a teaching tool to guide clinical discussions about engagement with justice-involved populations.

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Other Resources

Wellness Map

A printable companion to the Wellness Map. Clients rate eight areas of life from running on empty to going well, connect the dots, and talk through what the shape shows. The session starts with what is going well and ends with one small step, who can help, and when. Based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness (Swarbrick; SAMHSA). A clinical reflection tool, not an assessment. Prefer to run it on a screen? The interactive Wellness Map walks through the same eight areas one slide at a time, with a group mode for presenting and a one-client mode that prints the plan. Free with an account. Open the interactive Wellness Map →
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Holiday Relapse Prevention Planning

This two-page guide makes the case for starting holiday relapse prevention conversations in October — not December when clients are already in crisis mode. It covers why holidays are hard for clients in recovery (family triggers, social pressure, financial stress, grief, disrupted routines, sensory triggers tied to past use), then offers specific questions to ask now. The middle section walks through building a holiday survival plan with clients: identifying high-risk situations, planning ahead for each one, building in supports, practicing saying no, creating sober alternatives, and planning for loneliness. It ends with a reference list of key holiday dates to plan for, from Halloween through New Year's Day.
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When the Work Follows You Home

This three-page worksheet helps clinicians examine what they're carrying home from work — and build strategies for better separation. It starts with a checklist of what might be following you (replaying sessions, worrying about client safety, checking email after hours, dreams about work, feeling responsible for outcomes), then moves into noticing the pattern: which clients, what time of day, what triggers it, how often. The next section offers concrete strategies for separation — end-of-day rituals, physical transitions, worry time, deleting work email from your phone. There's also a reframing section with alternatives to thoughts like "I should have done more" and "What if something happens to them?" It ends with a commitment to one change this week.
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