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Introduction
There are several different ways to approach substance abuse therapy but the approach must be fitting to the client and the client’s needs. The main goal of substance abuse counseling is to prevent the client from using harmful substances in excessive and potentially dangerous ways. A major portion within the therapy itself is relapse prevention. Relapse prevention is aimed at counseling the individual in such a way to prevent future relapse. The relapse prevention technique also helps the client to discover any underlying issues that may have caused them to start using drugs and alcohol in the first place. Substance abuse counseling focuses on the whole counseling technique, not just the small area of substance abuse. Because substance abuse is frequently related to other life issues, the counseling takes a more broad focus to not only help the client recover from their addictions but also to solve mental, emotional, occupational, and family issues as well. There is a growing need for substance abuse counseling in today’s society because of the more prevalent presence of drugs and alcohol. It is important to understand the different counseling techniques for substance abuse clients because of the growing number of clients in need.
This paper will answer the following questions: What are the key concepts of substance abuse counseling? What is the theory behind substance abuse counseling? What is the therapeutic process? What are the specific techniques and procedures used in substance abuse counseling? And what are the weaknesses and limitations of substance abuse counseling?
The Key Concepts of Substance Abuse Therapy
Substance abuse therapy is similar to rational emotive behavior therapy in the sen...

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...ial to the client because they are able to resolve their personal issues one on one with the therapist as well as gain inspiration and hope from the group therapy sessions. The group therapy sessions also holds the client accountable for their own actions outside of the group which is a great deterrent when the client is thinking about relapsing. I believe that with substance abuse, the client can be their own worst enemy because many of them don’t believe they can achieve abstinence alone. The greatest thing the therapist can do is to reassure the client that they will not be going through the journey alone and that they have resources at their disposable. Substance abuse is a powerful and overwhelming thing and it can be completely life consuming however; with the help of substance abuse therapy and a good support group, it is extremely possible to overcome.