Treatment Considerations for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Emotional Disturbances, Serious Mental Illnesses and Co-occurring Substance Use (2 credit hours)

Program Summary:   This course explores treatment considerations for youth with SED and young adults with SMI and co-occurring substance use.  It offers an overview of risk and protective factors, impact of the problem, and barriers to treatment.  The course examines three treatment practices:  cognitive behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, and pharmacotherapy.  Five program examples are given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

 Open the Course Reading Here.

Course Reading:  Treatment Considerations for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Emotional Disturbances/ Serious Mental Illnesses and Co-Occurring Substance Use, Chapters 1 – 4

Publisher:  SAMHSA

Course Objectives:  To enhance professional practice, values, skills and knowledge by exploring treatment considerations for youth with SED and young adults with SMI.  Identify considerations for implementing treatment practices.

Learning Objectives:  Describe the current understanding of common mental illness co-occurring with substance misuse or substance use disorders.  Identify barriers to treatment.  Compare  CBT, MDFT, and pharmacotherapy.

Review our pre-reading study guide.

Course Available Until: February 28, 2026.

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1: Chapter 1: Serious emotional disturbance (SED) refers to a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder experienced by people ____________ .
 
 
2: Who should screen youth and young adults for mental and substance use disorders?
 
 
 
 
 
3: Which group is at increased risk of suicidal ideation and attempts, failure to graduate high school on time, and early pregnancy:
 
 
 
4: Which services lead to better long-term outcomes?
 
 
5: Chapter 2: Which treatment practice provides a framework for teaching skills related to managing emotions, challenging negative thoughts, and problem solving?
 
 
 
 
6: Which treatment approach recognizes that an individual's symptom management, retention in treatment, and overall treatment response is shaped not only by individual-level factors but also family-level factors?
 
 
 
 
7: For many people, the most effective behavioral health approach involves
 
 
 
8: According to the Summary of Evidence Review chart on page 21, CBT, MDFT, and pharmacotherapy were each given a rating of  _____________ for causal impact.
 
 
 
9: Chapter 3: Which is a counseling technique and treatment approach that helps individuals overcome ambivalent feelings and resistance, while clinicians offer their empathy and support?
 
 
 
 
10: Conditions where people live, learn, work, and play that affect their health and wellbeing are known as
 
 
 
 
11: Clinicians should be mindful that underlying social determinants of health impact
 
 
 
 
12: CA-CBT adapts CBT to
 
 
 
 
13: The extent to which the clinician delivering an intervention adheres to the protocol or program model intended by its developers describes
 
 
14: Which of the following plays a role in health and wellbeing?
 
 
 
 
 
 
15: The way in which people connect, behave, and engage with the therapist describes
 
 
 
 
16: Chapter 4: Which program is an intensive outpatient program for youth with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues and typically serves 10 youth at a time?
 
 
 
 

In order to purchase or take this course, you will need to log in. If you do not have an account, you will need to register for a free account.

After you log in, a link will appear here that will allow you to purchase this course.

Treatment Considerations for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Emotional Disturbances, Serious Mental Illnesses and Co-Occurring Substance Use, Course #4597, is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Free State Social Work, LLC as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: 12/08/2022 - 12/08/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 2 Clinical continuing education credits.

G.M. Rydberg-Cox, MSW, LSCSW is the Continuing Education Director at Free State Social Work and responsible for the development of this course.  She received her Masters of Social Work in 1996 from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience.  She has lived and worked as a social worker in Chicago, Boston, and Kansas City. She has practiced for many years in the area of hospital/medical social work.  The reading materials for this course were developed by another organization.

Course Available Until: February 28, 2026.
Filed under: Addiction, Children, Clinical