Digital Seminar
Disordered Drinking
Comprehensive Assessment and Treatment Using Harm Reduction, MI, ACT & More
- Average Rating:
- Not yet rated
- Faculty:
- Amanda E. White, LPC, LMHC
- Duration:
- 6 Hours 02 Minutes
- Copyright:
-
Jan 26, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150524
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
- Motivational strategies for clients who don’t identify as “alcoholics”
- Tools that work whether your client chooses abstinence, moderation, or is still contemplating change
- Trauma-informed interventions that address the root of the problem
- Manage clinical liability while offering harm reduction
The line between helping and enabling can feel razor thin.
But how much “less” is enough? And is “less” okay … or do they really need to stop?
Alcohol use is everywhere, yet substance use disorders remain stigmatized and treatment fragmented. Most therapists aren’t equipped to gauge when drinking crosses the line - or to stop disordered drinking from turning into alcohol use disorder.
And unfortunately, most therapists don’t feel confident in how to maintain an effective relationship with clients who aren’t ready for change.
Now you can get the skills you need to assess and treat the full spectrum of problematic alcohol use and keep clients engaged when you train with renowned therapist Amanda White, author of the acclaimed Not Drinking Tonight and creator of the popular Instagram account @therapyforwomen.
She’ll give you a toolkit of integrative strategies from MI, ACT, DBT and more to help everyone on your caseload – from the “wine mom” who drinks to cope, to the high-functioning professional whose moderation attempts repeatedly fail. Through detailed case examples and practical scripts, you’ll:
- Master advanced assessment techniques to catch concerning patterns early
- Use MI techniques and ACT strategies to work skillfully with resistance
- Transform clients’ relationship with alcohol with evidence-based strategies for regulation emotions, managing cravings, and more
- Gain confidence in making difficult clinical decisions about level of care
- Manage liability while practicing harm reduction
You’ll leave with ready-to-use tools that work in today’s drinking culture – whether your client chooses abstinence, moderation, or is still contemplating change.
Get the sophisticated strategies you need to go beyond the outdated binary of “alcoholic or not” – PURCHASE TODAY!
Credit
Handouts
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - Disordered Drinking (2.6 MB) | 80 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Extra Handouts - Disordered Drinking (5.2 MB) | 18 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Extra Handouts - Disordered Drinking - French (5.2 MB) | 18 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Disordered Drinking - French (2.6 MB) | 80 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Extra Handouts - Disordered Drinking - Italian (5.2 MB) | 18 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Disordered Drinking - Italian (2.6 MB) | 80 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Extra Handouts - Disordered Drinking - German (5.2 MB) | 18 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Disordered Drinking - German (2.6 MB) | 80 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Extra Handouts - Disordered Drinking - Spanish (5.2 MB) | 18 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Disordered Drinking - Spanish (2.6 MB) | 80 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Faculty
Amanda E. White, LPC, LMHC Related seminars and products
Therapy For Women Center
Amanda E. White, LPC, is a therapist, author of the acclaimed Not Drinking Tonight and companion workbook, and host of the podcast, Nuance Needed. As a founder and owner of the Therapy for Women Center in Philadelphia she has developed innovative approaches to treating the full spectrum of problematic alcohol use. Her clinical expertise comes from diverse experience including years working in traditional abstinence-based treatment settings, developing harm reduction protocols in private practice, and treating clients who fall into the “disordered drinking” category. She brings both professional expertise and lived experience with over 10 years of sobriety, giving her unique insight into the resistance and ambivalence clients face. She has trained clinicians nationwide on moving beyond binary thinking in addiction treatment and is known for her practical, immediately applicable clinical strategies. Amanda’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, and Shape.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Amanda White has an employment relationship with Therapy for Women and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Amanda White has no relevant non-financial relationships.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepepesi.com
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Objectives
- Evaluate clients’ use of alcohol and its impact for case conceptualization.
- Utilize trauma-informed interventions with clients who engage in disordered drinking.
- Choose 3 motivational interviewing techniques to build motivation in clients who are resistant to abstinence-based treatment.
- Determine 4 evidence-based interventions focused on improving emotion regulation and enhancing self-compassion of clients who engage in disordered drinking.
- Differentiate successful from unsuccessful moderation to inform treatment planning.
- Integrate harm reduction principles with appropriate level of care determinations while maintaining defensible documentation.
Outline
The Spectrum of Disordered Drinking
Beyond Traditional Diagnostics
- The 26% gap – heavy drinkers fall through clinical cracks
- Why DSM™ changes matter
- “Alcoholic/nonalcoholic” binary
- Drivers of problematic drinking
- The role of trauma in development and maintenance
- The impact of social anxiety
- Cultural myths that perpetuate clinical blind spots
- When harm reduction helps vs. enables
- The problem of internalized bias in the client and clinician
Assessment of Disordered Drinking
Catching Problems Before Crisis
- Multi-dimensional assessment tools to reveal hidden severity
- What you need to know about detox and withdrawal
- The “Can You Moderate” quiz Alcohol timelines to detect patterns
- Track cumulative risk factors
- Physical dependency markers commonly missed in “high-functioning” clients
- Alcohol’s impacts on physical health
- Common co-occurring mental health disorders
- Effects of alcohol on important relationships and areas of functioning
- Warning signs of failed moderation attempts
Working with Resistance
When Clients Won’t Accept That They Need Help
- ACT strategies to identify choices
- Differentiate alcohol-filtered vs. traditional denial
- Cognitive defusion and the ego-syntonic nature of drinking identity
- Stages of change adapted for alcohol use
- Core MI techniques that bypass resistance
- Values work to build willingness
- The “failed moderation experiment”
- Scripts for difficult conversations that maintain rapport
Evidence-Based Interventions for Disordered Drinking
Comprehensive Tools for Lasting Change
- Teach emotion regulation without substances
- Trauma-informed approaches to window of tolerance
- Break the shame-relapse cycle with self-compassion strategies
- Help clients set and maintain boundaries
- Establish a sober support system
- Authentic self-care strategies
- Manage cravings with DBT distress tolerance skills
- Relapse prevention for the modern drinker
- When moderation isn’t working – transitioning the conversation
Additional Clinical Considerations
Move Clients from Shame to Empowerment
- Create defensible treatment plans when clients refuse appropriate care
- Level of care determinations
- Documentation strategies that protect you and your client
- “Conditional treatment” agreements that work
- When to refer out vs. maintain therapeutic relationship
- Manage liability while practicing harm reduction
- 12-step groups and alternatives
- When and how to involve family and friends
- Countertransference management
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Psychotherapists
- Nurse Practitioners
- Nurses
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Reviews
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