Recovery is a dynamic process towards well-being that is free of stigma and discrimination and is unique to individual strengths, cultures and experiences. Recovery is supported by collaboration among services across many levels, including communities, sectors and systems. It extends beyond the individual and involves family, peers and workplaces. Recovery is multidimensional, involving all aspects of physical, social, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Brief initial process using screening tools to consult with an individual about their substance use and any concerns they may have about it.
Deliberately and continuously take action at a professional and personal level to protect and preserve one’s own well-being, especially during times of stress.
The capacity to perform mental or physical tasks with a specific job outcome. As with knowledge, skills can range from highly concrete and easily identifiable tasks, such as completing a checklist during an assessment interview, to less tangible and more abstract tasks, such as managing community participation. Skills help determine whether a person’s training and experience have prepared them for a specific workplace activity.
Individuals or groups who constitute social networks, Elders, community systems and any configuration of significant others in the individual’s past, present or future, and who can either support or undermine the individual’s wellness goals.
Psychiatrists, psychologists and other regulated clinicians trained in substance use and mental health who can diagnose and treat substance use and mental health conditions.
The self-administration of a psychoactive substance. For CCSA’s Competencies, substance use is inclusive of situations where professionals are working with individuals who use or have used substances, are diagnosed with a substance use disorder or are experiencing harms as a result of using substances. Refer to the criteria for substance use disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition, DSM-5).