Glossary
Substance Abuse Counselor Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential substance abuse counselor terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key substance abuse counselor vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in substance abuse counselor training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- 42 CFR Part 2
- Federal privacy rule for addiction records.
- ASAM criteria
- Placement guidelines for treatment levels.
- CBT
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Co-occurring disorders
- Addiction plus mental illness.
- Detox
- Medically managed withdrawal.
- Harm reduction
- Reducing the harms of use.
- IOP
- Intensive outpatient program.
- MAT
- Medication for addiction treatment.
- Motivational interviewing
- A counseling style that builds motivation.
- Recovery capital
- Resources supporting recovery.
- Relapse
- A return to use.
- Relapse prevention
- Skills to avoid relapse.
- SUD
- Substance use disorder.
- Treatment plan
- Goals and services for a client.
- Trigger
- Something that prompts cravings.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Substance Abuse Counselor practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Substance Abuse Counselor training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.