For therapists working with couples in which intimacy and/or alcohol-related problems are a concern, NIAAA’s Guide for Marriage and Family Therapists, “Alcohol Problems In Intimate Relationships: Identification and Intervention,” may help. It may also prove a helpful read/review for couples struggling with these issues, as well. The following is a quote of the “Purpose of the Guide,” followed by the Guide’s contents:

As a marriage and family therapist, you are likely to see many individuals, couples, and families in your practice who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing significant alcohol-related problems. This Guide will:

•   Introduce you to an “alcohol problems framework” and its implications for alcohol treatment and intervention.

•   Provide you with background information on defining characteristics and prevalence of a range of alcohol problems.

•   Describe the significance of alcohol problems in the couple and family context.

•   Encourage you to adopt a universal screening procedure in your practice for quick and efficient identification of undetected alcohol problems.

•  Provide you with a “Clinical Toolbox” to conduct effective screenings and assessments of alcohol problems.

•  Help you to decide whether to treat, when to treat, and how to select an appropriate intervention.

•   Teach you the essentials of providing brief interventions for alcohol problems.

•   Examine a range of treatment alternatives and discuss the factors to consider in choosing a treatment strategy or making a referral.

•   Provide you with a number of resources that will help you utilize the various treatment strategies available or make a referral to specialty treatment alternatives when appropriate.

–   Alcohol Problems and Your Practice
–   Screening and Problem Assessment
–   Brief Interventions: Initial Decision-Making
–  Elements of Brief Interventions: When the Drinker Is Present
–   Elements of Brief Interventions: When the Drinker Is Not Present
–   Longer-Term Approaches to Alcohol Problems

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Lisa Frederiksen

Author | Speaker | Consultant | Founder at BreakingTheCycles.com

Lisa Frederiksen is the author of hundreds of articles and 12 books, including her latest, "10th Anniversary Edition If You Loved Me, You'd Stop! What you really need to know when your loved one drinks too much,” and "Loved One In Treatment? Now What!” She is a national keynote speaker with over 30 years speaking experience, consultant and founder of BreakingTheCycles.com. Lisa has spent the last 19+ years studying and simplifying breakthrough research on the brain, substance use and other mental health disorders, secondhand drinking, toxic stress, trauma/ACEs and related topics.

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