Chapter List Guidelines In a nutshellAbout these guidelinesPart A: About co-occurring conditionsA1: What are co-occurring conditions?A2: How common are co-occurring conditions and why are they of concern?A3: Guiding principlesFirst, do no harmWork within your capacityEngage in ongoing professional developmentRecognise that the management of co-occurring conditions is part of AOD workers’ core businessProvide equity of access to careAdopt a ‘no wrong door’ policyRecognise that co-occurring conditions are common and all clients should be routinely screenedConduct ongoing monitoring of symptoms and assessment of client outcomesFocus on engaging the client in treatmentAdopt a holistic approach that focuses on treating the person, not the illnessAdopt a client-centred approachAdopt a trauma-informed care approachEmphasise the collaborative nature of treatmentHave realistic expectationsExpress confidence in the effectiveness of the treatment programAdopt a non-judgemental attitudeAdopt a non-confrontational approach to treatmentInvolve families and carers in treatmentInvolve peers in treatmentConsult and collaborate with other health care providersEnsure continuity of careA4: Classification of disordersPart B: Responding to co-occurring conditionsPart C: Specific population groupsAppendicesAbbreviationsGlossaryReferencesDisclaimer and acknowledgements Download full Guidelines Order a free hard copy Have realistic expectations Download page It is important that AOD workers have realistic expectations regarding the course of treatment and outcomes to be expected of clients with co-occurring conditions. It is commonly believed that clients with co-occurring conditions are more difficult to treat, require more intensive treatments, and have poorer treatment outcomes. However, co-occurring conditions are not an insurmountable barrier to treating people with AOD use disorders. It is important that treatment plans are developed collaboratively to build patient trust and treatment engagement [133], and tailored to the client’s readiness for change [129]. As discussed in Chapter A2, research has shown that clients with co-occurring conditions can benefit just as much as those without co-occurring conditions from usual AOD treatment [78, 99, 102, 143]. Download section Previous Next