Free CADC Exam Flashcards

Screening is a brief first pass to identify possible substance-use or safety concerns. Assessment is a fuller clinical process that explores history, severity, strengths, needs, and appropriate next steps.

A screening tool helps flag risk and decide whether more evaluation is needed. It does not replace clinical assessment, diagnosis, or individualized treatment planning.

A positive screen should lead to respectful follow-up, clarification, and assessment of immediate needs. It should not be treated as proof of a diagnosis by itself.

Ask about recent use patterns, prior withdrawal complications, current symptoms, medical problems, and medications. Possible severe withdrawal calls for medical evaluation rather than routine counseling only.

Directly ask about thoughts, plans, intent, means, past attempts, protective factors, and current supports. Safety concerns take priority over continuing a routine intake.

A biopsychosocial assessment looks at substance use, health, mental health, trauma, family, culture, housing, legal issues, work, supports, and readiness for change so care can match the whole client.

Assessment continues throughout care. New symptoms, relapse, medical changes, risk concerns, or recovery gains may require updating the treatment plan.

Collateral information can improve assessment when it is relevant and authorized. The counselor still protects confidentiality and avoids collecting unnecessary details.

Readiness reflects how the client views the problem and possible change. Ambivalence is normal and should be explored rather than argued against.

Level-of-care decisions consider severity, withdrawal risk, biomedical and emotional needs, recovery environment, relapse risk, and client resources. Match intensity to need and safety.

A strong plan is built with the client, uses the client's own priorities when possible, and connects identified problems to goals, objectives, services, and review dates.

A measurable objective states what the client will do in observable terms. It should be specific enough that progress can be reviewed without guessing.

Strengths such as motivation, culture, family support, work skills, faith, coping skills, or prior recovery periods should guide interventions and improve engagement.

Revise the plan when client needs, risks, goals, diagnosis, level of care, or barriers change. A stale plan can become inaccurate and clinically unhelpful.

Discharge planning begins early and prepares for continuing care, relapse prevention, recovery supports, medication needs, referrals, safety planning, and follow-up.

Motivational interviewing emphasizes partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation. The counselor draws out the client's own reasons for change instead of lecturing.

Reflective listening restates or deepens the client's meaning. It shows understanding, reduces defensiveness, and helps the client hear their own thoughts more clearly.

Open-ended questions invite the client to explain, explore, and choose direction. They are especially useful when assessing ambivalence, values, barriers, and goals.

Affirmations identify genuine strengths, effort, values, or progress. They should be specific and sincere, not vague praise or approval-seeking.

A summary gathers key points, highlights change talk, checks accuracy, and transitions to the next step. It keeps the session organized and collaborative.

Many addictive substances affect reward pathways involving dopamine. Repeated use can change motivation, learning, craving, and response to natural rewards.

Tolerance means the person needs more of a substance or gets less effect from the same amount. It can increase risk when use escalates.

Physical dependence means the body has adapted to a substance and withdrawal can occur when use stops or decreases. It is not the same thing as addiction by itself.

Naloxone is used to reverse suspected opioid overdose. After it is given, emergency care and monitoring are still important because overdose risk can return.

Medication-assisted treatment combines approved medications with counseling and recovery supports. A counselor should support access and coordination while staying within scope.

A co-occurring disorder means substance-use concerns and mental-health conditions are both present. Effective care addresses both rather than treating one as irrelevant.

Integrated care coordinates substance-use, mental-health, medical, and social supports. It reduces fragmented services and improves continuity for complex needs.

Substances can mimic, worsen, or temporarily mask mood symptoms. Assessment should consider timing, withdrawal, intoxication, history, and need for mental-health referral.

Trauma-informed counseling emphasizes safety, choice, collaboration, trust, and empowerment. It avoids shaming or forcing disclosures that are not clinically necessary.

An addiction counselor should recognize mental-health warning signs and coordinate care, but should not diagnose or treat conditions outside their training, credential, or setting.

Confidentiality protects client trust and legal rights. Disclosures should follow consent requirements, agency policy, and applicable privacy law.

Informed consent explains services, risks, benefits, limits of confidentiality, fees or responsibilities, client rights, and how information may be used or shared.

A dual relationship occurs when the counselor has another role with the client. The ethical concern is impaired judgment, exploitation, favoritism, or harm.

Scope of practice means working within one's credential, training, supervision, law, and agency role. When needs exceed scope, consult, refer, or coordinate care.

Cultural humility means asking, listening, reflecting on bias, and adapting care respectfully. It avoids assuming that one client represents an entire group.

Objective documentation records observable facts, client statements, clinical impressions, interventions, response, and plan. Avoid insults, guesses, or personal judgments.

A progress note shows what service occurred, why it was clinically relevant, how the client responded, and what will happen next.

Risk documentation should include what was assessed, client statements, protective factors, consultation, actions taken, referrals, safety planning, and follow-up.

A late entry should be clearly identified according to policy and should not pretend it was written earlier. Accuracy matters more than hiding a delay.

A release of information should specify what may be shared, with whom, for what purpose, and for what period. Share only what is needed.

A referral connects the client to a needed service beyond the counselor's setting or scope, such as medical care, mental-health treatment, housing, legal aid, or mutual-help support.

A warm handoff actively connects the client to another provider, often by helping schedule, introduce, or coordinate. It reduces drop-off between services.

Case management helps coordinate practical supports and services that affect recovery, such as transportation, benefits, housing, medical appointments, childcare, and legal obligations.

Follow-up checks whether the referral was accessible, appropriate, and completed. If barriers appear, the counselor helps problem-solve within role and consent limits.

Collaboration with physicians, therapists, probation officers, social workers, and peer supports can improve care when the client consents and information sharing is appropriate.

In a crisis, immediate safety comes first. Stabilize the situation, assess risk, involve emergency or supervisory support when needed, and document actions taken.

Unresponsiveness, slow or absent breathing, blue or gray skin tone, choking sounds, and pinpoint pupils can signal opioid overdose. Activate emergency response and use naloxone if available and appropriate.

A safety plan identifies warning signs, coping steps, supportive contacts, crisis resources, means-safety actions, and follow-up. It should be practical and client-specific.

When a client poses a serious risk to self or others, the counselor follows law, policy, supervision, and emergency procedures. Safety can require action beyond ordinary confidentiality.

Stop routine counseling and seek medical or emergency help when symptoms suggest overdose, severe withdrawal, loss of consciousness, chest pain, seizure, or other acute danger.