Know Who They Are and What They Need: Screening and Assessment for Co-Occurring Disorders
The relationship between substance use and mental disorders is complex and critical. Rates of these disorders in criminal justice settings are much higher than in the general population, and there many drug court participants have co-occurring disorders. Drug Courts are uniquely positioned to effectively intervene with persons who have co-occurring disorders. An important first step in developing specialized interventions for co-occurring disorders is to provide integrated screening prior to drug court entry. More in depth assessment of co-occurring disorders following program entry allows for rapid triage to specialized treatment interventions, case management, and supervision. This webinar will examine validated screening and assessment instruments for co-occurring disorders, strategies to determine eligibility for drug courts, and approaches for placement in specialized drug court services.
At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Describe several challenges in conducting screening and assessment of co-occurring disorders in drug courts
- Identify several instruments to screen and assess for co-occurring disorders, including instruments examining major mental disorders, substance dependence, PTSD/trauma, and criminal risk
- Understand basic strategies to screen and assess for drug court eligibility
- Make adaptations to drug court assessment procedures to address co-occurring disorders
Presented by Dr. Roger Peters
