Conduct ongoing monitoring of symptoms and assessment of client outcomes

Assessing mental health is a process, not a one-off event. It is important to monitor a person’s mental health symptoms throughout treatment as they may change over time. For example, a person may present with symptoms of anxiety and depression upon treatment entry; however, these symptoms may subside with abstinence. Alternatively, a person may enter treatment with no mental health symptoms, but such symptoms may develop after a period of reduced use or abstinence.

It is often difficult for clients to detect subtle changes over time. Integrated screening and assessment at different timepoints, and provision of feedback to clients, are important steps for client engagement [115]. Ongoing monitoring is rated by health professionals as one of the top non-pharmacological strategies for promoting treatment adherence among clients with co-occurring conditions [116]. Evidence of a reduction in psychiatric symptoms may help to maintain client motivation. On the other hand, evidence that there has been no change or that their psychiatric symptoms have worsened may help clients understand why they have been using substances and alert them to the need to address these issues.