October
"when the work follows you home"
Thinking about clients at 10pm? You're human. Every night? That's data. This month is about noticing what you're carrying and learning to leave work at work—not because you don't care, but because you need to last.
💡 October Tip
Want the full 2026 calendar? It's included in the Winter 2026 Quarterly Kit. Get it →
Personalize Your Calendar
The Winter 2026 Kit includes stickers to personalize your calendar with dates that matter to you—client milestones, personal reminders, or trigger dates.
🧠 World Mental Health Day
Check in on your own mental health—not just theirs. You can't pour from an empty cup.
💊 Drug Take Back Day
Remind clients to clear out old medications. Reduces access to means for overdose and suicide.
🎃 Halloween
Parties, drinking culture, costumes as "permission." Check in with clients before the weekend.
💜 Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Abuse doesn't pause for recovery. Stay aware.
SUD and domestic violence frequently co-occur. Substances can be used as a tool of control, and trauma from abuse often underlies addiction. This month, recommit to screening:
- Are you routinely asking about safety at home?
- Do you know the signs of coercive control—not just physical abuse?
- Are you aware that abusers sometimes sabotage recovery?
- Do you have DV resources ready to share when clients disclose?
- Are you checking in on clients whose partners control their access to treatment?
National DV Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | Text START to 88788
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 opens with why holidays are hard (family triggers, social pressure, financial stress, grief, disrupted routines, loneliness) and then offers questions to ask clients now, before the stress hits. The middle section walks through building a holiday survival plan: identifying high-risk situations, planning ahead for specific events, building in supports, practicing saying no, creating alternatives to drinking-centered gatherings, and planning for loneliness. The guide ends with a timeline of key holiday dates from Halloween through New Year's Day to plan for.
Best for: Addiction counselors who want to get ahead of holiday stress instead of doing damage control in December. Start these conversations in October — by November, the anxiety is already building.
Available October 1stWhen the Work Follows You Home
This three-page worksheet examines what you're carrying home from work — clients you can't stop thinking about, sessions you replay, worry that follows you into your personal life. It opens with a checklist of signs that work is following you home (replaying sessions after hours, worrying about client safety at night, checking email constantly, dreams about work, difficulty being present with family or friends). The next section helps you identify patterns: which clients, what time of day, what triggers these thoughts, how often it happens. The middle section offers concrete strategies for creating separation — end-of-day rituals, physical transitions, designated "worry time," removing work email from your phone. The worksheet includes reframing exercises for thoughts that keep intruding, and ends with space to commit to one boundary you'll set this week.
Best for: Clinicians who can't stop thinking about clients after hours, feel like they can never fully disconnect from work, or notice work bleeding into personal relationships and wellbeing. Also useful for supervision conversations about work-life boundaries.
Available October 1stPre-Holiday Anxiety
Trend: Pre-holiday anxiety builds now. By the time December hits, your clients are already in crisis mode.
Watch for: Clients starting to dread the holidays. Family stress, financial pressure, and grief surface early. Don't wait for Thanksgiving to address it.
Action: Start holiday relapse prevention planning NOW. Use the Holiday Relapse Prevention Planning guide to walk through high-risk situations before they arrive.
📝 Related Reading
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New Counselor Knowledge Gaps I used to sit in group next to this seasoned counselor and just watch him. He knew everything. Every term, every
What Do I Even Say?: Filling 45-Minute Sessions with Confidence
Filling Therapy Sessions Fifteen minutes in. The client is sitting across from me, waiting. I’ve covered intake updates, asked about their week, checked on their
I’m Too Tired to Care: Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
Compassion Fatigue for Addiction Counselors I agreed to write a letter overnight. I didn’t finish it. Instead of sending a message to explain the delay,
When the Judge Says Abstinence but Evidence Says Harm Reduction
Blog #2 in the Justice-Involved Treatment Mastery Series: Harm Reduction with Court-Mandated Clients Read Blog #1: Beyond Court Compliance if you haven’t already. The email
They’re Going to Report Me: Professional Fear and Compliance Anxiety
Fear of Being Reported It’s 3 AM and you’re lying awake replaying the session. Did you document that correctly? Should you have called DCFS? And
Cultural Competency Guide – Coming Soon
This practical guide equips clinicians with the tools needed to deliver culturally responsive, equitable addiction treatment. Through real-world examples, reflection prompts, and actionable resources, it supports providers in building empathy, reducing disparities, and honoring client identities and lived experiences.
Covers:
- Cultural humility framework
- Bias recognition strategies
- Sample cultural assessment forms
- Case studies from diverse communities
This upcoming guide delivers practical tools to strengthen inclusive, respectful client care.
Join the waitlist to get notified when it’s released and gain early access to exclusive companion tools.
Estimated Release: Spring 2026
Want early access or release updates? Fill out the form below.
CE Course Coming Soon – Coming Soon
This 5-hour self-paced course is designed to enhance clinical awareness and confidence when working with individuals in early addiction, co-occurring conditions, or unclear diagnoses. It provides an in-depth look at how addiction presents across populations and offers practical strategies for recognizing early, acute, and masked symptoms.
You’ll explore:
The difference between signs vs. symptoms
Clinical red flags often missed in intake or early treatment
Cultural, behavioral, and neuropsychological indicators of substance use
Case-based decision-making to strengthen recognition skills
📚 Already Available: The full resource guide is live in our store and can be used now
⏳ Coming Soon: This course is currently pending CE approval through NAADAC. You’ll earn 5 CE hours upon launch.
🗓 Estimated CE Release: Mid to Late Summer 2025
Want early access or CE release notifications? Join the waitlist below.
Breaking Barriers – Coming Soon
This upcoming guide offers clinicians a compassionate, evidence-informed framework for supporting LGBTQIA+ clients through the addiction and recovery journey. Developed with cultural humility and intersectionality at its core, Breaking Barriers includes:
- Clinical guidance on affirming care across diverse identities and experiences
- Scenarios and case studies for reflective practice
- Tools to help clients explore identity safety, stigma, and resilience
- Strategies for addressing minority stress and internalized shame in treatment
Designed for individual therapists, group facilitators, and programs ready to do better by queer and trans clients.
Estimated Release: December 1, 2025
Want early access or release updates? Fill out the form below.
Closing the Divide – Coming Soon
This enhanced eBook explores the deep-rooted gender disparities in addiction care—and offers concrete strategies for closing the gap. Designed for seasoned clinicians, advocates, and program directors, this guide includes:
- Data-driven insights on gender differences in access, engagement, and outcomes
- Real-world case studies and reflection prompts
- Worksheets and trauma-informed tools tailored by gender identity
- Strategies for building inclusive, gender-responsive recovery systems
Join the waitlist to get notified when it’s released and receive early access to exclusive companion tools.
Estimated Release: October 31, 2025
Want early access or release updates? Fill out the form below.
Parenting in Recovery – Coming Soon
This upcoming resource is designed to help clinicians support clients navigating both recovery and parenthood. The Parenting in Recovery workbook explores strategies for rebuilding trust, establishing stability, and fostering meaningful communication between parents and children.
Whether used in family therapy or individual treatment, this guide includes:
Evidence-informed parenting strategies
Tools for restoring structure and safety at home
Guided activities to promote connection and resilience
Session-ready prompts and clinician insights
Built for therapists, counselors, and parenting specialists, this resource will be released in Spring 2026.
Want early access or release updates? Fill out the form below.