For purposes of this TIP, co-occurring disorders refers to co-occurring
substance use (abuse or dependence) and mental disorders. Clients said
to have co-occurring disorders have one or more disorders relating to
the use of alcohol and/or other drugs of abuse as well as one or more
mental disorders. A diagnosis of co-occurring disorders (COD) occurs
when at least one disorder of each type can be established independent
of the other and is not simply a cluster of symptoms resulting from the
one disorder. Many may think of the typical person with COD as having
a severe mental disorder combined with a severe substance use disorder,
such as schizophrenia combined with alcohol dependence. However,
counselors working in addiction agencies are more likely to see persons
with severe addiction combined with mild- to moderate-severity mental
disorders; an example would be a person with alcohol dependence combined with a depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder. Efforts to provide
treatment that will meet the unique needs of people with COD have
gained momentum over the past 2 decades in both substance abuse treatment and mental health services settings.

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs)

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are developed by the Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment (CSAT), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each TIP
involves the development of topic-specific best-practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment
of substance use and mental disorders. TIPs draw on the experience and knowledge of
clinical, research, and administrative experts of various forms of treatment and prevention. TIPs
are distributed to facilities and individuals across the country. Published TIPs can be accessed via
the Internet at http://www.kap.samhsa.gov.
Although each consensus-based TIP strives to include an evidence base for the practices it
recommends, SAMHSA recognizes that behavioral health is continually evolving, and research
frequently lags behind the innovations pioneered in the field. A major goal of each TIP is
to convey “front-line” information quickly but responsibly. If research supports a particular
approach, citations are provided.

We do adhere to the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. Our courses are carefully screened by the Planning Committee to adhere to APA standards. We also require authors who compose Internet courses specifically for us follow APA ethical standards.

Many of our courses contain case material, and may use the methods of qualitative research and analysis, in-depth interviews and ethnographic studies. The psychotherapeutic techniques depicted may include play therapy, sandplay therapy, dream analysis, drawing analysis, client and therapist self-report, etc. The materials presented may be considered non-traditional and may be controversial, and may not have widespread endorsement within the profession. www.psychceu.com maintains responsibility for the program and its content.