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Working with clients who present with a comorbid addiction

ICP Seminar Working with clients with comorbid addiction.pdf

Michael Tunnecliffe & Kerryn Ashford-Hatherly

Many clients present for treatment with a diagnosis of depression, anxiety or a post-trauma condition. During the assessment and formulation process, it’s not uncommon to find the client also has a comorbid addiction. Often, the first dilemma for the clinician is whether the mental health problem resulted from the addiction, or did the addiction develop from coping with the mental health condition? With many mental disorders, comorbidity with addiction is often reported to be the rule rather than the exception. This practical, interactive professional development session will review the relationship between mental health conditions and addictive behaviours in a manner that assists the clinician to more effectively assess the presenting issues and set priorities for treatment.

A brief ICP AGM will be held prior to the seminar, with morning
tea provided
Saturday 27th July 2019 9am to 12noon
The Boulevard Centre, 99 The Boulevard, Floreat
$40 ICP Members $60 Non ICP Members, Clinical Psych Students $40

~ 3 hours CPD ~
Please register & pay online by 26th July on the ICP website
https://icp.org.au/events/#!event-list
All queries to President@icp.org.au
Participants in this practical professional development session will benefit by: ́  Understanding the importance of assessing for addiction comorbidity when clients present with a mental disorder. ́  Appreciating comorbidity has important implications for treatment, as clients with comorbid conditions often have a poorer treatment response and a worse recovery trajectory over time. This means an intervention plan needs to take the comorbid addiction into account. ́  Reviewing the common mental disorder / addiction co-morbidities which present in psychological practice and the hypotheses that may explain these. ́  Appreciating that even when there is no causal relationship between substance dependence and a mental disorder, having one disorder may worsen the symptoms and treatment outcomes of the other. ́  Participants are provided with a set of course notes, assessment guidelines and an opportunity to discuss common addiction co-morbidity issues which arise in clinical practice.
You will be provided with course notes, assessment guidelines & opportunity to discuss addiction co- morbidity issues which arise in clinical practice.
Come join us!