| Course | ADC 630 Diagnosis and Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Assessment and treatment plan |
| Length | About 1,015 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ADC 630 Module 2
Seven Life Areas and One Plan: Assessment and Treatment Planning for a Court-Referred Client
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 630: Diagnosis and Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Seven Life Areas and One Plan: Assessment and Treatment Planning for a Court-Referred Client
Sam's diagnosis was now on file, severe for alcohol and mild for cocaine, and the court expects a treatment recommendation within two weeks. What follows shows how Brooke, still working with the same fictional client, looked at the rest of his life and wrote the plan with him.
A Multidimensional Assessment
McLellan et al. (1992) introduced the current version of the Addiction Severity Index, an interview that covers a client's health, work and finances, drinking, other drugs, legal situation, family and friends and mental health. In each area the interviewer gathers facts, asks how much the client has been bothered and how much help they want, then rates how serious the problems are. Composite scores allow change to be tracked over time. The index's breadth reflects a basic finding of addiction treatment research: problems in other life areas affect whether people stay in treatment and how they fare afterward.
| Area | Sam's situation | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Medical | Morning shakes; elevated liver enzymes on recent bloodwork | Moderate |
| Employment and support | Steady work but missed days; employer has warned him | Moderate |
| Alcohol | Daily drinking, eight or more drinks on weekend days | Severe |
| Drug | Cocaine on about half of weekends | Moderate |
| Legal | Pending drunk-driving charge; license suspended | Considerable |
| Family and social | Partner threatening to leave; friends mostly drinking companions | Considerable |
| Psychiatric | Low mood since father's death last year | Slight to moderate |
Readiness to Change
Miller and Tonigan (1996) built SOCRATES, a short questionnaire on how ready drinkers are to change. Its items load on three factors: recognition of a drinking problem, ambivalence about it and taking steps to change. Sam scored moderate on recognition, high on ambivalence and low on taking steps.
Prochaska et al. (1992) described stages through which people move in changing addictive behaviors: precontemplation, not yet considering change; contemplation, aware of a problem and weighing change; preparation, intending to act soon; action, actively changing; and maintenance, sustaining change. They argued that different processes help at different stages, and that interventions mismatched to a person's stage, such as action-oriented demands for someone still contemplating, tend to fail. Sam's scores and his words, "I know I drink too much, but I don't know about quitting," placed him in contemplation.
Matching Interventions to Readiness
Prochaska and colleagues' framework suggests that people in contemplation benefit from processes that raise awareness and help them weigh pros and cons, such as feedback about their own drinking and exploration of their ambivalence, rather than behavioral techniques for maintaining abstinence. Brooke therefore planned to begin with motivational work, including personalized feedback from Sam's assessment results, while setting goals that Sam was willing to try now, such as no drinking on workdays, and leaving the decision about full abstinence for a few weeks later.
Involving Sam's Partner
Sam's relationship was both a source of stress and a reason to change. With his consent, Brooke planned two joint sessions with his partner, focused on communication and on how she could support change without monitoring him. Including family in treatment planning recognizes that recovery happens in relationships, not only in sessions.
The Treatment Plan
Brooke wrote the plan with Sam, using his words where possible.
| Problem | Goal | Objectives | Interventions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol use | "Get my drinking under control so I don't lose everything" | Medical review of withdrawal within one week; reduce to no drinking on workdays within four weeks; decide about abstinence by week six | Motivational interviewing; medical consultation; daily drinking log |
| Cocaine use | "Stop the weekend coke" | No cocaine use for eight weeks, confirmed by testing | Identify weekend triggers; plan alternatives |
| Family | "Keep my relationship" | Partner attends two joint sessions | Couple sessions focused on communication |
| Employment | "Keep my job" | No missed workdays for eight weeks | Plan for Monday mornings; discuss safety on roofs |
| Legal | "Get through the court case" | Attend all sessions; counselor reports to court with consent | Coordination with probation |
Strengths in the Plan
The assessment also showed strengths: steady work he values, a partner who wants the relationship to continue, a softball league he still plays in and a sister who does not drink. The plan builds on these, using his wish to keep his job and relationship as reasons for change and his sober activities as alternatives to drinking.
The Court's Role
Because Sam was referred by the court, the plan also had to satisfy his probation conditions. With his written consent, Brooke would report attendance and general progress to his probation officer, but not the content of sessions. She explained this to Sam at the start, so that he knew what would be shared, and framed treatment as his, not the court's, while acknowledging that the court's requirement had brought him in.
Level of Care
Brooke recommended intensive outpatient treatment, nine hours a week for six weeks, followed by standard outpatient care. The severity of Sam's alcohol use disorder and his withdrawal symptoms called for more than weekly sessions, but his steady work, stable housing and partner's support made residential care unnecessary if medical review confirmed that withdrawal could be managed safely outside a hospital.
Why Write Goals in the Client's Words
Treatment plans written in clinical language, such as "client will demonstrate improved coping," can feel imposed and abstract. Goals in Sam's words, such as "keep my job," remind him why he is in treatment and make progress easy to recognize. The objectives beneath them supply the measurable detail clinicians and courts need. The combination serves both audiences.
Reviewing the Plan
The plan will be reviewed every two weeks, with the Addiction Severity Index repeated at three months to measure change across areas. If Sam moves into the action stage, objectives will shift toward abstinence and relapse prevention.
Conclusion
McLellan and colleagues' Addiction Severity Index showed that Sam's problems extend well beyond drinking, Miller and Tonigan's SOCRATES and the stages of change described by Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross showed that he is weighing change rather than ready to act and the plan matches interventions to both. Written partly in Sam's words, the plan gives him goals he recognizes as his own.
References
McLellan, A. T., Kushner, H., Metzger, D., Peters, R., Smith, I., Grissom, G., Pettinati, H., & Argeriou, M. (1992). The fifth edition of the Addiction Severity Index. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 9(3), 199-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/0740-5472(92)90062-S
Miller, W. R., & Tonigan, J. S. (1996). Assessing drinkers' motivation for change: The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 10(2), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.10.2.81
Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., & Norcross, J. C. (1992). In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors. American Psychologist, 47(9), 1102-1114. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.47.9.1102
ADC 630 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
The second module of ADC 630 typically asks for an assessment and treatment plan. The Module 2 page in your Aspen course governs; Sam is a teaching invention. Use a structured multidimensional assessment and say why breadth matters for outcomes. Rate problems and needs across life areas, noting strengths as well as problems. Assess readiness to change with a measure as well as the client's own words. Write goals and measurable objectives with the client. Match interventions to readiness and needs. Recommend a level of care with reasons drawn from severity, medical risk and supports. Give APA 7 references, and phrase goals the way the client himself talks about them. Say how often the plan will be reviewed and what would change it, so it stays a working document rather than a form.
Inside the ADC 630 Module 2 example
Sam, the composite client diagnosed with severe alcohol and mild cocaine use disorders, completes the Addiction Severity Index with Brooke, his counselor, who also speaks with his partner. The interview McLellan and colleagues designed covers seven parts of Sam's life and rates each. On Miller and Tonigan's readiness scale, Sam scores high on ambivalence and low on taking steps. Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross's American Psychologist article places him in contemplation. A five-row plan table covers alcohol, cocaine, family, employment and legal goals. Intensive outpatient care is recommended after medical review of withdrawal, with the plan reviewed every two weeks.
Where the marks sit in the ADC 630 Module 2 rubric
Treatment plans earn credit for assessment across life areas, readiness-matched interventions and measurable objectives developed with the client. This example uses a structured instrument with severity ratings. Readiness is measured, not assumed, and interventions match it, beginning with motivational work and personalized feedback rather than demands for abstinence. Objectives are specific, measurable and dated. Several goals use the client's own words, which makes them his rather than the clinic's. The level of care recommendation is justified by severity, withdrawal risk and supports. Holding the abstinence decision until week six respects the client's stage of change without abandoning the goal.
ADC 630 Module 2 help from the desk
Treatment plans often address only substance use. Assess every life area that affects recovery, including those the client does not raise. Measure readiness and match interventions to it; action-oriented plans for clients still deciding often fail, while plans that start where the client is can move with them. Write objectives that can be measured, with dates. Involve the client in writing goals. Justify the level of care with the client's severity, medical risks and supports. Plan to review and revise at set intervals. Avoid jargon in the plan itself, since clients are more likely to work toward goals they understand and helped choose. Revisit readiness as treatment proceeds, because clients often move between stages.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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ADC 630 Module 2 questions, answered
What does ADC 630 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 630 covers assessment and treatment planning in this module, so a multidimensional assessment and an individualized plan are typical. Check your Module 2 prompt.
What is the Addiction Severity Index?
A structured interview by McLellan and colleagues assessing problems in seven areas: medical, employment and support, alcohol, drug, legal, family and social and psychiatric.
What does SOCRATES measure?
Miller and Tonigan's scale measures readiness to change drinking through three factors: recognition of a problem, ambivalence and taking steps.
Where can I find a free ADC 630 Module 2 sample paper?
You will find it all here: an assessment across seven areas of life, a readiness score and the plan that grew from both.
What are the stages of change?
Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross traced change from not yet considering it, through weighing it and getting ready, to acting and then holding on, with different help suited to each point.