Substance Abuse and Disability: Implications for Rehabilitation Counselling Practices

The prevalence of substance abuse among people with disabilities is a major concern in the field of rehabilitation. Recent research has indicated that substance abuse increases incidents that lead to disability and undermines rehabilitation gain. However, most rehabilitation counsellors lack sophistication concerning the dual problems of substance abuse and disability because of their unfamiliarity with and inadequate training for substance abuse and disability issues. This paper provides an overview of (a) important issues related to substance abuse and disability, (b) procedures and techniques for identifying, assessing, counselling and referring clients with substance abuse problems for treatment, and (c) implications for rehabilitation counselling training and practices.