This book is intended for graduate students pursuing careers as professional counselors in a variety of settings, including healthcare agencies and treatment facilities. All counselors, regardless of specialty or work environment, are likely to encounter clients who have a co-occurring mental and substance use disorder. The book is also useful for experienced counselors who did not receive comprehensive education during their training program but now work with clients who have co-occurring disorders (CODs). The focus on the counseling profession is unique to this book. Both the editors and the majority of the contributing authors are all professional counselors, many of whom are counselor educators and clinical supervisors, with direct care experience working with people who have CODs. Being rooted in the counseling profession provides a holistic, wellness perspective that is frequently lacking in books on CODs written primarily by professionals with medical degrees or other behavioral health backgrounds. Each chapter is purposefully written with the reader’s education in mind. To begin, each chapter lists the learning objectives, which indicate what the reader should be able to accomplish after thoroughly reviewing the material. The focus of the chapter content is on assisting readers in understanding what this means for their future work as counselors. This is especially evident in the case illustration and discussion sections, where readers are exposed to a clinical situation and then see how a clinical professional counselor would handle it. Each chapter concludes with suggested discussion questions, designed to help readers expand on the content of the chapters, use critical thinking skills, and, if done in dyads or groups, learn the art of consultation and collaboration with peers.
