| Course | ADC 630 Diagnosis and Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Treatment model paper |
| Length | About 1,047 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 3
What Is Already Working? Solution-Focused Principles in Substance Use Treatment
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 630: Diagnosis and Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What Is Already Working? Solution-Focused Principles in Substance Use Treatment
Three weeks into intensive outpatient treatment at the clinic in Portland, Maine, introduced earlier in the course, Sam mentioned that he had not used cocaine the last two weekends. He moved on quickly to complain about his probation officer. Brooke, his counselor, came back to it. The rest of this paper sets out the solution-focused thinking behind that move; Sam and Brooke remain fictional.
Origins and Assumptions
De Shazer et al. (1986) described a brief therapy developed at a family therapy center in Milwaukee. They argued that therapists often spend much of their effort understanding problems, their history and causes, and that this is not always necessary for change. Instead, they focused on solutions: what the client wants to be different and what is already working. Their central observation was that problems are rarely constant; there are almost always times when the problem is absent or less severe. These exceptions show that the client already has some capacity to solve the problem. The therapist's task is to help the client notice exceptions, understand what made them possible and do more of what works. They also held that a small shift can set off bigger ones and that clients know their own lives and aims better than any therapist.
Core Principles
Several principles follow. Focus on what the client wants, stated as the presence of something positive rather than the absence of the problem. Look for exceptions and amplify them. Notice and compliment the client's existing strengths and efforts. Aim for small, concrete steps. Use the client's language and goals rather than imposing the counselor's. And keep treatment brief, assuming change is possible soon.
| Problem-focused question | Solution-focused question |
|---|---|
| Why do you use cocaine on weekends? | What was different about the last two weekends when you didn't use? |
| What triggers your drinking? | When have you been in a tempting situation and not drunk? How did you manage that? |
| How bad has it gotten? | On a scale from one to ten, where are you now, and what would one step higher look like? |
| What went wrong this week? | What went well this week that you'd like to continue? |
Why Brief Matters
The approach's brevity is not only a matter of cost. By assuming that change can happen soon and that clients already have resources, it conveys confidence in clients, which may itself encourage change. In a clinic with waiting lists and limited sessions, a method that produces gains quickly also allows more people to be served.
The Evidence
Gingerich and Eisengart (2000) reviewed the outcome research on solution-focused brief therapy available at the time. Of fifteen controlled studies, five were well controlled, and all five found benefits of the approach, in settings such as depression, parenting and recidivism. Others were less rigorous but mostly positive. They concluded that the findings provided preliminary support but that more rigorous studies were needed.
Kim (2008) conducted a meta-analysis of studies of solution-focused brief therapy. The approach produced small positive effects compared with control conditions, with effects varying across problem types; the effects for internalizing problems such as depression and anxiety were somewhat larger and more consistent than for others. Kim concluded that the approach shows promise but that effects are modest and further well-designed studies were needed, including in substance use treatment.
A Note on Language
Solution-focused counselors pay close attention to language. They ask "what will be different" rather than "if," presupposing that change will happen. They use the client's own words for goals. And they ask about "what you did" rather than "what happened," inviting clients to see themselves as agents. These small choices shape how clients describe their situation and themselves.
Applying the Principles to Sam
Brooke asked Sam what was different about the last two weekends. At first he shrugged: "I just didn't." She persisted with curiosity. He recalled that both Saturdays he had spent the afternoon helping his brother-in-law build a deck and had gone home tired, and that he had told his usual weekend friend he was "on probation and getting tested," which ended the invitation. Brooke complimented him on both strategies and asked which he could repeat next weekend. Sam said he could offer to help on the deck again, and that the probation explanation "works every time." She then asked a scaling question: on a scale of one to ten, how confident was he that he could go a third weekend without cocaine? He said six. When she asked what would make it a seven, he said having a plan for Saturday night, not just the afternoon.
Why Exceptions Matter Clinically
Exceptions do more than supply strategies. When Sam described the deck project and his refusal to his friend, he was describing himself as someone who had already managed cravings successfully, a different self-image from the one he brought to treatment. Solution-focused practitioners argue that this shift in how clients see themselves can build confidence and hope, which in turn make further change more likely. The approach's emphasis on compliments serves the same end.
Where the Approach Has Been Used With Substance Use
Solution-focused work has been adapted for substance use treatment in individual and group formats, often for clients with less severe problems or as part of a broader program. Kim's meta-analysis found few rigorous studies specific to substance use, so evidence for this population is thinner than for problems such as depression. Counselors using the approach should therefore combine it with treatments that have stronger evidence for substance use and track their clients' outcomes.
Fitting Solution-Focused Work With Other Treatment
Solution-focused principles did not replace Sam's other treatment. His alcohol use, with its withdrawal risk, still required medical oversight, and his treatment plan still addressed several life areas. But the solution-focused stance changed the tone of their sessions, shifting attention from what Sam was doing wrong to what he was already doing right, and gave him concrete strategies drawn from his own experience.
Conclusion
De Shazer and colleagues' solution-focused approach builds on exceptions, client goals and small steps rather than analysis of problems. Gingerich and Eisengart's review and Kim's meta-analysis show promising but modest effects. For Sam, exploring an exception revealed two strategies he could repeat and a next step he chose himself.
References
de Shazer, S., Berg, I. K., Lipchik, E., Nunnally, E., Molnar, A., Gingerich, W., & Weiner-Davis, M. (1986). Brief therapy: Focused solution development. Family Process, 25(2), 207-221. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1986.00207.x
Gingerich, W. J., & Eisengart, S. (2000). Solution-focused brief therapy: A review of the outcome research. Family Process, 39(4), 477-498. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2000.39408.x
Kim, J. S. (2008). Examining the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 18(2), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731507307807
Reading the ADC 630 Module 3 assignment instructions
The third module of ADC 630 typically asks for a paper on the principles of solution-focused treatment. Your Aspen course's Module 3 page defines the task; Sam is a teaching invention. Explain the approach's origins and assumptions in the words of its developers where possible. Set out its core principles, such as focusing on exceptions, client goals and small steps. Contrast it with problem-focused approaches. Report the outcome evidence honestly, including its limits and how thin it is for substance use specifically. Apply the principles to a client in substance use treatment. List APA 7 references, and show how the approach fits alongside other treatments. Use an exception from a real or realistic client's life, since the approach's central move is finding and building on one.
How this ADC 630 Module 3 example is built
Sam, the composite client at a Portland clinic, mentions that he skipped cocaine the last two weekends. De Shazer and colleagues' Family Process article describes focusing on what works rather than on the problem. Gingerich and Eisengart's review in the same journal finds early support from a small number of controlled studies. Pooling the studies, Kim found the approach helps, but only a little on average. A four-row table contrasts problem-focused and solution-focused questions. Brooke, his counselor, explores what Sam did differently on those weekends, and he identifies two strategies he can repeat. A scaling question then turns his confidence into a concrete next step for Saturday night.
ADC 630 Module 3 rubric: what earns full marks
A paper on a treatment model succeeds when its principles are described faithfully, honest reporting of evidence and an application that shows the principles changing a conversation. This example explains the approach's assumptions in its originators' terms. The question table makes the difference from problem-focused work concrete, pairing each problem-focused question with its solution-focused counterpart. Evidence is reported with its limits, including small effects and few studies in substance use. The application uses a real exception from the client's life, which is the approach's central move. The paper positions the approach as complementary to other treatments, keeping medical oversight of withdrawal in place while changing the tone of sessions.
Common ADC 630 Module 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Solution-focused papers often describe techniques without the assumptions behind them. Explain why the approach looks for exceptions and future goals. Report evidence carefully: it is promising but effects are small and studies vary in quality. Apply the principles with a real exception from the client's life. Do not suggest that problems should be ignored; assessment and safety still matter. Show how the approach can combine with other treatments. Listen for exceptions in clients' everyday talk; they often appear in passing and are easy to miss. When a client dismisses an exception as luck, stay curious; the details usually reveal something the client did.
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 3 questions, answered
What does ADC 630 Module 3 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 630 covers solution-focused treatment principles in this module, so a paper on the approach's assumptions, principles and evidence is typical. Look at your Module 3 prompt.
What is solution-focused brief therapy?
An approach described by de Shazer and colleagues that builds on exceptions, times when the problem does not occur, and on clients' goals, rather than analyzing the problem's causes.
Does solution-focused therapy work?
Kim's meta-analysis found small positive effects, and Gingerich and Eisengart's review found early support from a limited number of controlled studies.
Where can I find a free ADC 630 Module 3 sample paper?
This page has the full paper: solution-focused principles, a table of contrasting questions, the evidence and an application to a client.
What is an exception in solution-focused therapy?
A stretch, however short, when the problem did not show up or was milder, which the counselor explores to find what the client did that could be repeated.