Category: Recent Posts

Addiction counseling is a specialized therapeutic process aimed at helping individuals break free from dependencies on substances or destructive behaviors. Millions of Americans struggle with addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, or even compulsive behaviors such as shoplifting. These issues often coexist with underlying mental health disorders, making addiction counseling a critical part of holistic treatment and recovery.

At the core of addiction counseling is an in-depth assessment of the individual’s psychological, emotional, and behavioral patterns. Once an evaluation is complete, a customized treatment plan is developed. This plan may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, family counseling, and other evidence-based approaches. In many cases, psychotherapy is also essential in treating co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, or trauma.

The goal of addiction counseling is not just detox or short-term abstinence—it’s about long-term recovery, self-growth, and reintegration into a healthier life. Counselors work with individuals to identify triggers, build coping mechanisms, strengthen support systems, and reinforce personal values that support sobriety.

To learn more about professional addiction support services, visit Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – an excellent resource for treatment options and educational materials.

If you’re exploring therapy options, check out our Blog page to see how our certified addiction counselors can help.

Synopsis: Substance abuse treatment greatly improves the chances of breaking criminal offense cycles. The judicial system uses consequential punishments to deter repeated drug offenses while substance abuse treatment aims to rehabilitate.

A common and cyclical movement of those with substance abuse disorders and the paths of substance abuse treatment versus incarceration is demonstrated in our legal system by which the practice of requiring people with addictions to remain drug-free as a condition of probation for drug-related offenses and of criminalizing relapse. Being that addiction is considered a brain disease and relapsing is a symptom of it, it can be contemplated how the laws are encouraging, rather than narrowing, success rates. If the policies in place are not setting an offender up for optimal recovery then perhaps that can best be achieved by a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program. Treatments can involve medication, psychotherapy and long-term follow up.

The sustainability of such treatment programs far surpasses the costs and tribulations of criminalization, yet imprisonment for nonviolent drug offenses and the respective statistics are still staggering. While consequences in any legal system are necessary, they should be with the primary intention of individual rehabilitation. The criminal justice system utilizes punishments to deter repeated drug offenses while substance abuse treatments aim to wholly rehabilitate.

Information Source:

SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Synopsis: What is an outpatient intensive treatment

Intensive outpatient programs give individuals the ability to further their dedication to sobriety by maintaining the accountability that’s recommended for long-term recovery. This treatment option allows individuals to continue the progress and growth they’ve obtained from counseling, medication, and general professional support in a less restrictive setting. Initiating treatment with an intensive outpatient program will offer support mechanisms and educational tools to further build a foundation for lifelong sobriety.

An initial clinical assessment will determine one’s suitability for the intensive treatment program and is typically recommended for those who do not need a medically-supervised detox. In an intensive outpatient program, the patient continues their everyday life with clinical, emotional, and peer support systems.

DUI (Driving Under Influence) clinical evaluation also known as Alcohol/ Drug Clinical Evaluation begins with a scheduled one-on-one session between the person charged with DUI and the state approved SAP(Substance Abuse Professional). When an individual is charged with DUI, careless/reckless driving by the state, judge, attorney, or probation office, he/she has to get their clinical evaluation done for DUI before or after court proceedings. DUI evaluations is state-regulated. However, it is suggested to get the clinical evaluation done prior to your appearance in the court to show your good faith and accountability.
Evaluation is a one-hour session which has to be booked by the violater priorly with the clinical evaluator. Our professional will verify your exposure to substance abuse for different drugs while ensuring the confidentiality of the session. After the completion of the session our authorized clinician determines whether you need any sort of education, counseling, program or treatment. The final recommendation is explained to you before being handed over to you in writing. If he suggests some treatment program then, any violation in terms of attendance and other procedure during the course of the program will lead to a further violation on your part.
Our clinical evaluators are highly experienced and well knowledgeable to help you sort out your difficulties and set you on the right track. You can fix your appointment to let them guide you towards the right course of action. The majority of the offenders are afraid of the fact that they will be directed towards the treatment program however, it is not so. Each individual is analysed by our professional considering their history, evaluation of their link with drug and alcohol abuse with proper use of available professional assessment tools and then only, we arrive on giving the accurate and fair recommendations for each case.

Alcohol and Drug Evaluation is conducted with the purpose of identifying and analyzing if an individual under evaluation is suffering from alcohol or any sort of substance abuse issue. It is followed by analyzing the level of counseling and intervention needed if an individual is found to be going through some issue or addiction. Alcohol and Drug assessment is conducted for the non-DUI individuals i.e. the ones going through medical issues, or when ordered by the court for reasons given by different authorities like judges or law enforcement agencies to assess the extent of a person’s level of addiction to such substances.

Our team of professionals is highly skilled in behavioral and cognitive skills who will help you reach the honest results of whether you actually need some further counseling or treatments for alcohol addiction or any sort of drug treatment.

The overall evaluation is carried through the stages of screening (to find if the person is actually going through the problem), then the assessment, to find out the nature of the problem the alcoholic or drug abuser is going through, thus, followed by the remedy needed in the form of rehabilitation or counseling. This helps in understanding the current status as well as the history of the patient under evaluation to reach the conclusion of whether his problem is only substance abuse or physiological/psychiatric as well. The assessment is a deep-rooted process conducted by our professionals who are experienced in their field for over 25 years.

This evaluation helps us to develop a remedial program for the treatment of the person with a specific drug or alcohol addiction.

Since we are certified by the court as well as the state, we also conduct evaluations for DUI.

To know more related to Alcohol and Drug Evaluation Near me visit us now. or to set up one for yourself, be sure to call us at 1-800-683-7745 or visit us at www.aacscounseling.com

The Family Violence Intervention Program (FVIP) is the certified program that is focused on the safety of the family violence victims and improvement/ rehabilitation of violent offenders, simultaneously. It aims at maintaining the cordial relationship between the couples and removing any kind of violence be it, physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or behavioral that pertains between them or is inflicted, on any other family member, be it, physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or behavioral.
Domestic violence is common to every second household. The U.S has been witnessing a sharp rise in the number of murders of women committed during the argument between the couples and also, increase in the mental abuse of teenagers resulting from family violence. It destroys the home and affects the very foundation of the family and the home. We believe that no one deserves to be abused or threatened whether mentally or physically. Thus, our FVIP solely aims at providing the professional help needed to any extent to prevent the destruction of households and thereby reduce the abuse of victims. We help the abuser understand the reason behind his behavioral issues and the violence inflicted by him/her which may be due to drug abuse, alcoholism, jealousy, or low self-esteem.
The program may be suggested by the court orders as against the defendant as when a protective order is issued against family violence wherein the defendant is asked to participate in an FVIP. The program focuses on increasing the accountability of the offender and helps in the protection and safety of the victim irrespective of their color, caste, age, gender, or socio-economic background.
Most of our clients are court-ordered as the condition of probation however, others are referred by the Office of Community Services or self-referred individuals who recognize that they are undergoing domestic violence issues in their relationships and, they wish to learn the power and control issues to improve their relationships.

Family violence can be psychological abuse or battery between any members of a household.  It occurs when one person uses force to inflict injury, either emotional or physical, upon another person they have, or had, a relationship with. The involved individuals are related by blood, marriage or intimate partners.  A family violence intervention program aims to end a debilitating cycle of violence in families by empowering individuals to maintain independence in a violence-free lifestyle. As a response to domestic violence and in providing an alternative to violence in a familial setting, a family violence intervention program is led by trained professionals who teach identification of abusive behaviors and appropriate responses to those triggers. The court may determine that a defendant convicted of a violent domestic crime undergo such a program for rehabilitation. A program in which abusers are held accountable for their acts of domestic violence may be the first or final step to leading a healthy and happy lifestyle.

The Family Violence Intervention Program (FVIP) is the certified program that is focused on the safety of the family violence victims and improvement/ rehabilitation of violent offenders, simultaneously. It aims at maintaining the cordial relationship between the couples and removing any kind of violence be it, physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or behavioral that pertains between them or is inflicted, on any other family member, be it, physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or behavioral.
Domestic violence is common to every second household. The U.S has been witnessing a sharp rise in the number of murders of women committed during the argument between the couples and also, increase in the mental abuse of teenagers resulting from family violence. It destroys the home and affects the very foundation of the family and the home. We believe that no one deserves to be abused or threatened whether mentally or physically. Thus, our FVIP solely aims at providing the professional help needed to any extent to prevent the destruction of households and thereby reduce the abuse of victims. We help the abuser understand the reason behind his behavioral issues and the violence inflicted by him/her which may be due to drug abuse, alcoholism, jealousy, or low self-esteem.
The program may be suggested by the court orders as against the defendant as when a protective order is issued against family violence wherein the defendant is asked to participate in an FVIP. The program focuses on increasing the accountability of the offender and helps in the protection and safety of the victim irrespective of their color, caste, age, gender, or socio-economic background.
Most of our clients are court-ordered as the condition of probation however, others are referred by the Office of Community Services or self-referred individuals who recognize that they are undergoing domestic violence issues in their relationships and, they wish to learn the power and control issues to improve their relationships.

Outpatient Drug Rehab is a supreme option available for those drug abusers who are exposed to mild addiction and, they cannot disrupt their regular work/family life routine to get their treatment done. It is generally opted by those who wish to get their treatment done from a clinic or hospital during specified chosen hours of their routine which may range from 12-16 hours per week, without having to stay at the rehab center. The drug abusers with hectic life and busy professional routine are out most common  patients. Outpatient rehab allows complete flexibility in the treatment programme in the terms of hours and days per week selected.

Just like inpatient rehab, the outpatient rehab also fulfills the criteria of making the patient free from substance use but, with a difference that he doesn’t have to stay in the rehab center as in the case of in patient detox where he is admitted to the rehab center for his de addiction. Outpatient program may include psychosocial interventions, medications, education/counsellings, art or music therapy, and the support services, depending upon the client’s need. Support services may be in the form of helping the person undergoing the rehab program finding a job or a house to live. Besides, the patient may also profited in the form of newly developed social connections, personal encouragement, and motivation to achieve his ultimate goal of undergoing outpatient rehab.

Apart from imparting the education, individual or group counselings our outpatient program allows the complete monitoring and treatment of the drug withdrawal symptoms which can be in the form of anxiety, depression, and anger issues.

There is a myth that impatient rehab has more success rate as compared to the outpatient detox which, is not true because the goal of both the plans are the same however, the success completely depends upon the will power and the self-discipline of the patient under going the treatment.

The clearinghouse has been introduced as the secured online database to maintain records about the CDL(Commercial Driving Licence) drivers’ who are covered by FMCSA’s drug and alcohol program. This also includes drivers with commercial learner’s permits (CLPs).

DOT has made the clearinghouse SAP evaluation mandatory for the employees who test positive for drug or alcohol abuse. SAP is the user in the Clearinghouse who is also required to register himself on the clearinghouse. As soon as the driver is found positive he must register on the FMCSA Clearinghouse and contact SAP professional. The list of the qualified DOT SAPs may be provided by your employer so that you can fix your appointment as soon as to complete the return-to-duty process.

EVALUATION PROCESS

• The driver registers himself on the clearinghouse where the employer then, enters the violation record on the driver’s name.
• The driver receives a notification in the form of e-mail or text that information has been entered on his record.
• The driver can now access the list of qualified SAPs and choose one which he wishes to.
• Similarly, SAP receives the push-up notification from the clearinghouse mentioning the driver’s name in the form of his connection request.
• The SAP clicks on “Accept Request” or “Deny Request” following which he can see the driver’s records if he accepts the request.
• On the initial assessment, SAP intimates the driver about his treatment recommendation and also enters the date of the final assessment meeting.
• SAP, after determining that the driver has successfully complied with the treatment, enters the date of the demonstration which serves as the means for the employer who then, orders the conduct of Return to Duty test.

The result of the RTD test must be negative to get back on your duty else, you have to undergo the treatment procedure again (education or treatment) as suggested by SAP.

Information Source:

SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION