Last Updated on February 17, 2017 by Morris Green

Case management is one of the core functions that substance abuse counselors must understand intimately. You might say the counselor’s job revolves heavily around it. At its core, case management is defined as the activities that bring services, service providers (or agencies), resources, and people together. The objective is to use this gathering of sources to meet a client’s needs and reach their personalized goals.

For counselors, case management often involves becoming a liaison. The textbook global criteria for this core function seem surprisingly simple but pack a punch:

1. Coordination of services for client care.
2. Explaining the rationale for care management activities to the client.

While these two requirements may seem like a cake walk compared to the other eleven core functions of substance abuse counseling, they can prove to be the most challenging. Coordination of multiple services takes time, patience, and attention to detail.

Monitoring Multiple Client Activities

Understanding the scope of case management is best achieved through illustration. Let’s pretend that you are managing a heroin addict’s case. This particular client is suffering from clinical depression and has received an HIV diagnosis. In addition, they’re facing the legal ramification of a pending criminal charge and displays a severe lack of basic life skills. How would you manage their case?

The specifics of our illustration can vary based on what types of programs and services your agency provides. For example, if your client is enrolled in a court program offered by your agency to handle the pending criminal charge, you might monitor and coordinate with the colleague who is handling your client’s case within that program. The particulars of your client’s HIV and clinical depression may be overseen by one or more health care professionals outside of your agency. Since these conditions directly impact your client’s physical and mental states, you may need to monitor the status of them by coordinating with out-of-agency health professionals. The activities and information emanating from these sources will all be integrated into your counseling treatment plan.

As you can imagine, coordination of services for client care can entail paperwork ranging from releases to private patient documentation. Attention to detail and the strict following of applicable procedures will be crucial.

The Evolution of Case Management

Substance abuse treatment is personalized. It zeroes in on how to help the client best, and as a result, it evolves as they change. The need to coordinate and consult with different care providers will change as your client progresses. It will be your responsibility to remain aware of the change and adjust accordingly.

Serving as a liaison and including collateral contacts and activities into your treatment planning process is of major importance to both your success as a counselor and your client’s success in recovery. Addressing the obstacles that impact counseling, from missing life skills to the ramifications and consequences of a previous lifestyle, is vital to best assisting your clients in overcoming their substance use, abuse, or addiction problem. Meticulous and personalized case management is a major tool in your toolbox.