Resources, Bibliographies, References, & Updates

The individuals in treatment were by far the most important contribution to the curriculum. When I was teaching from the content or consulting for another facilitator presenting the material…no one in the group knew that I had written the psychoeducation. That might have limited or altered their responses which, of course, I did not want.

By listening and asking, individual group members would talk about what was helpful, what was not, and by doing that they guided me in what I needed to add, eliminate, or explain differently.

Just one example out of hundreds upon hundreds of helpful input was when I was walking out of the treatment facility. I heard a person behind me comment, “Well I guess we are only to talk about what was bad about using alcohol and other drugs. We’re never asked what we liked about them.” That was an important eye-opener for me and valuable information.  

I added several sections in the curriculum that discussed what was “good” about drinking and drug use and what was “not-so-good.” When we know what was good for each person like reducing anxiety…then we can discuss the anxiety they just said they struggle with. If what was “good” was an increased sense of confidence, that guides us in the direction of discussing ways of developing self-esteem or confidence in ways other than using.

This information guided content by adding weighing the good with the not so good of drug use combined with the good and the not-so-good of changing behaviors (like losing friends). In several places of THE BASICS, Second Edition there are exercises like “Benefits and Costs of Using and Not Using”, which is also a recognized Motivational Interviewing approach.

Much appreciation is given to the thousands of professionals who contributed to the psychoeducation found in The Basics, Second Edition through their trainings, research studies, books, mentoring, collegial support, and sharing their vast experience and knowledge with me.

As I did national and international trainings the participants would offer invaluable help. In one training a therapist asked “Do you have anything in your curriculum about how a person can be helped when shopping for groceries when they are nervous? My answer was “no…great idea…would you happen to have that information?” To my delight she did and shared it with me and I put it in THE BASICS, Second Edition.

In another training a professional asked me if I had something in the curriculum about how to help a person prepare for going to a psychiatrist. The individuals she was working with were having difficulty with the topic. She said she didn’t know how to help them become less anxious, which had often led them to cancel the appointment. I told her “excellent idea…and yes I’ll add that topic to the curriculum thanks to her.” That section can apply to all of us when we go see physicians – take a list of prescriptions, notes of problems with any medications, questions to be asked, etc.

A very few examples of the professionals that influenced the content and heart of THE BASICS and even wrote sections include: 

1. Kenneth Minkoff, MD is an international expert on Integrated Treatment. The accomplishments and contributions to the field of integrated treatment by Kenneth Minkoff, MD and Chris Cline, MD, MBA are too numerous to possibly mention. Additional information can be found on ziapartners.com. I attended so many of Ken’s trainings over the years and often accepted invitations to be a presenter based on where he would be presenting so I could again learn from him. His influence in THE BASICS, Second Edition can be found throughout the curriculum.
2. The work of William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick (founders of Motivational Interviewing) completely changed my approach. I became a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers and the influence of Motivational Interviewing – based on their books and workshops – are written into the fabric of the curriculum.
3. Pat Anthony (Masters Level Therapist at Spokane Mental Health) wrote a section on Crisis Management since it was one of her many areas of expertise. Ms. Anthony (Multicultural Specialist, Supervisor, and Trainer) also assisted in the writing and editing of the Multicultural sections.
4. Paul Quinnette, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the President and CEO of the QPR (question, persuade, refer) Institute, an educational organization dedicated to preventing suicide. Dr. Quinnette, Washington State University, has internationally trained over 5 million lay and professional people in how to prevent suicide. He very kindly wrote the section “Survival Tips for the Suicidal” in Subject Eight of THE BASICS, Second Edition.
5. Jim Yetter (Masters Level Mental Health Therapist and Chemical Dependency Professional at Spokane Mental Health) specialized in one of the cognitive behavioral skills of reframing. He contributed the “Challenging Non-Helpful Automatic Thoughts” in Subject Seven, as well as the group “15-Minute Slice of Time”.

• The Basics, Second Edition is supported by thousands of professional research studies, references, and resources…over 1,600 of these are listed in the curriculum.
• In each of the eight subjects and six appendices there are sources/references listed within the subject text itself.
• At the end of each of the eight subjects and six appendices you will find the extensive bibliographies of the references and resources for that specific subject.

THE BASICS, Second Edition, 2020 Printing remains aligned with Evidence Based Practices. While it is true that the original bibliographies in the content are based on the earlier studies – primarily by what had been referred to as the “Decade of the Brain” – the content in THE BASICS, Second Edition continues to be further supported in EBP and research.  

The curriculum is full of skills and techniques for symptom management of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders. Stress management, coping with depression, managing anxiety, cognitive behavioral skills, anger management, developing support systems, Twelve Step Programs, relapse prevention, symptom management, and importance of nutrition, sleep, positive thinking, etc. remain unchanged and even more validated as EBP over the years.

At the time of the original printing of The Basics, Second Edition, the DSM version was the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Text Revision) 2000 published by the American Psychiatric Association.

By the 2020 Printing of THE BASICS, Second Edition, the version of the DSM was the DSM-5 published by the American Psychiatric Association 2013.

So this was my dilemma as the author of the curriculum:

1. Do I publish a Third Edition for the sole purpose of updating the limited amount of references to the DSM-5 about diagnostic criteria? This was an especially important question to weigh since the curriculum is designed to treat not diagnose psychiatric and substance use disorders that co-occur. Or do I find a way to update the material that would be available at no cost on my website?
2. I chose the latter…to update the content at no additional cost to current purchasers and make available the update to the DSM-5 to future purchasers of THE BASICS, Second Edition.

The decision was made on the fact that:

1. References to the DSM are almost exclusively located in Subject Two: Psychiatric Disorders Within A Co-Occurring Diagnosis.
2. Not all psychiatric disorders are discussed – only the ones typically found among individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use orders like Depression, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Thought Disorders, Personality Disorders, etc.
3. The limited references to the DSM on Substance Use Disorders are exclusively in Subject Three, Substance Disorders Within a Co-Occurring Diagnosis.
4. The DSM is also not the only reference used to identify psychiatric and substance use disorders. There are many more included in the curriculum that remained unchanged.
5. The DSM-5 update is mostly important to those using the curriculum in exams or as a textbook at universities and colleges…not in treatment groups per se. Updating in this way meets those needs.

I did, of course, want to provide the updated DSM-5 content. The way I decided to provide this updated material is:

1. I developed a Subject Review and Training/Teaching Guide for each of the eight subjects and they are available on this website.
2. I decided to add the updates to the DSM-5 to the PowerPoint presentations which are also available in PDF handouts. Those updates from the DSM-IV-TR to the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) are in Subject Two & Subject Three of these Subject Reviews.

By providing DSM-5 updates – which is the only updated content in the THE BASICS, Second Edition 2020 Printing – the need to purchase…or write for that matter…a Third Edition.