Here you’ll find resources dedicated to giving marginalized groups all the support necessary to be successful in substance use disorder treatment and sustained sobriety, including Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC); the LGBTQIA2S+ community; unhoused individuals and families; inmates and formerly incarcerated individuals; children and adolescents; and military veterans.
No matter how dedicated you are, no matter how many hours you work, and no matter how elite your education has been, no substance use disorder (SUD) counselor anywhere can deliver all the care that a patient needs.
As you quickly learn on the job, addiction saps every kind of capability from people experiencing it. They lose their jobs and are kicked out of their homes. They lose their sense of self-preservation and even the healthcare they rely on, no longer prioritizing healthy food. They may even lose the most basic resources for self-care and hygiene.
When this happens to people who are part of groups marginalized by society and already struggling under socioeconomic challenges and discrimination, the impact is compounded. And when those people come under your care, you had better have some resources to turn to for helping them.
We’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re already practicing professionally, or still getting your education and working toward credentials, you will find this list of resources helpful. Between them, you’ll find guidance to help you better understand the challenges your clients face and the direct assistance they need to overcome those challenges. It’s all here in one place for you to reference quickly and share easily.
Support Programs From The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Thankfully, the federal government hasn’t been asleep at the wheel when dealing with the challenges of substance abuse. SAMHSA is the agency that has primary responsibility for addressing chronic addiction and co-occuring issues, and it’s a juggernaut with a stack of well-funded initiatives you can turn to for extra help supporting marginalized groups.
SAMHSA is not only behind many of the block grants that subsidize other relief and support efforts here, but it directly administers many programs useful to SUD counselors and their patients. These are among the most helpful for marginalized communities.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Because you can’t be everywhere at once or treat every kind of addiction, this confidential, 24/7/365 resources should be splashed all over your business cards and notebooks. It’s a free referral service for individuals and families dealing with substance use disorders, with a national catalog of treatment facilities, support groups, and other community assistance organizations.
GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation
GAINS aims at the common crossover point between substance use disorders and the criminal justice system. Incarcerated individuals can be some of the most difficult to reach and treat for SUD counselors. GAINS offers trauma training specialized in this field, offers a treatment court locator for diversion programs, and offers connections to virtual learning communities and communities of practice to put you in touch with other counselors facing the same challenges.
Homeless & Housing Resource Center
Delivering high-quality training in evidence-based re-housing and treatment for substance use and co-occuring disorders, HHRC partners with national experts in homelessness to help you better inform your practice with unhoused individuals. Through webinars, toolkits, and online training, you can merge housing stability and recovery efforts to deliver a better shot to this marginalized community.
National Center of Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
There’s no debate in the human services community: children are the most vulnerable population to work with and the hardest to cope with emotionally. NCSACW provides information, expert consultation, training, and technical assistance to SUD professionals to improve safety, consistency, and recovery outcomes for kids, their parents, and families.
State Opioid Response/Tribal Opioid Response Technical Assistance
This partnership between SAMHSA and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry provides free educational resources and training to states, communities, and individuals. With Native American communities hit hard by the opioid epidemic, this extra training through the Opioid Response Network can make a big difference for your clients.
Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center
Along the same lines, the dedicated TTAC resource offers a strategic cultural framework and training for mental and substance use disorders and suicide prevention among SUD counseling providers with Native American patients.
General Resources for Supporting Marginalized Groups in Addiction Counseling
While every individual is unique and demands individual respect and assessment, and every marginalized group is often marginalized in its own unique way, there are still some general skills that counselors will find useful in dealing with any of them.
The Association For Addiction Professionals Cultural Humility and Demographic Specific Resources
NAADAC is an organization that offer more than just professional certification for substance abuse counselors; it’s also a clearinghouse for the latest treatment techniques, advocacy efforts, and educational resources. Their series of cultural humility and treatment considerations for disadvantaged populations offers a deep well of learning material and ideas for counselors working with marginalized communities.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
One thing almost all marginalized populations have in common is an elevated risk of suicide when experiencing substance use disorders. So suicide prevention should be on the radar of every SUD counselor working with every kind of group on this list. AFSP offers a 24/7 lifeline for your clients when you can’t be available, as well as resources for learning more about suicide prevention to integrate with your own counseling efforts.
Resources for Substance Abuse Counselors Working With Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
There are wide disparities in patterns of addiction between various cultural and ethnic groups that can make treatment a challenge for even the best-educated SUD counselor. According to 2021 data from SAMHSA, American Indian and multiracial communities had the highest rates of illicit drug use in the country, hovering at around 36 percent. In Asian communities it was lower, but still significant at around 11 percent. Yet cultural inhibitions against treatment can make it far more difficult for Asian patients to fully engage with rehab programs.
These differences make culturally appropriate, specifically tailored resources all the more important for SUD counselors dealing with BIPOC populations. In addition to several of the SAMHSA resources listed above, you can find excellent information and resources for treating BIPOC individuals and communities from these sources.
Resources to Support Black People and Communities
Therapy For Black Men
Offering both free and paid counseling for Black men who need coaching and mental health therapy, this is a good resource for SUD counselors who need a resource to assist with both psychological treatment and general coaching on action plans to achieve other life goals.
Black Girls Smile
Because Black women, too, experience co-occuring mental health issues with addiction, this program offers similar resources for women. With gender-responsive and culturally-affirming education and support, you can help bring young, Black, female patients into a better place.
SAFEProject Addiction and Mental Health Resources for the Black Community
Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic is an equal opportunity life-saving organization for addiction, but they have put together a pretty comprehensive list of resources that are focused on and available to counselors working with the Black community. Culturally appropriate treatment and ideas are right around the corner once you click here.
American Psychological Association Substance Abuse and Addiction in the African-American Community
Recognizing the relative difficulty for Black individuals to get into and complete therapy programs of all kinds, the APA publishes a series on ethnicity and health in American that examines the intersections between criminal justice, addiction, and treatment systems in the United States. This information will equip you with the data you need to both deliver more effective treatment and act as an advocate for clients in this population.
Resources to Support Hispanic and Latino People and Communities
The Latino Commission
The Latino Commission has been running addiction recovery programs for more than 30 years in the San Francisco area. It’s a community-driven effort that works to prevent relapses, helps to build support network, and strengthen Latino families in recovering from addiction.
National Latino Behavioral Health Association
Via the Bob Martinez Center of Innovation in Nation Behavioral Health, NLBHA makes advances and conducts training for counselors of all kinds of behavioral care with Latino populations.
SAMHSA Spanish Language Resources
Many of SAMHSA’s existing resources for SUD counseling are also available in Spanish. This is a list of selected publications and on-call resources that can offer materials and assistance for Spanish-speaking clients.
American Psychological Association Substance Abuse/Addiction in the Latino-Hispanic Community
The APA’s Ethnicity and Health in America drills down into the specific issues fueling substance use disorders in the Latino and Hispanic community, offering data and insights on treatment valuable for SUD counselors working with this population.
Resources to Support Asian People and Communities
Asian American Drug Abuse Program
AADAP is an organization offering direct treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in Asian individuals and communities. Operating out of Los Angeles since 1972, they have extensive experience in the unique pressures and problems of SUD treatment in Asian cultural contexts.
Project Lotus
Understanding that Asian-Americans are three times less likely to seek help compared to others, Project Lotus was started to reduce the stigma of mental health and substance abuse treatment in a community that often suffers in silence. Webinars and workshops offered here can help you get past the wall and connect with your Asian clients.
Recovery Dharma
Although it’s not specifically oriented or restricted to Asian patients, the use of traditional Buddhist practices and principles in the addiction recovery process may resonate more with populations steeped in historically Buddhist culture. Learn what you need to know about how Buddhism can inform the recovery process here.
Resources to Support Indigenous People and Communities
White Bison
Support systems for Native American’s with substance use disorders are historically lacking, but White Bison aims to put an end to that. With recovery, sobriety, and general wellness learning resources that are culturally-based, this organization offers extensive resources for you to assist Native clients.
Indian Health Service
The federal IHS has a responsibility to address all sorts of health and wellness issues for Native American and Alaskan Native populations. They have both federal resources and boots on the ground in these communities, which makes them a great resource for assisting with counseling and co-occuring disorders with your Native American clients.
One Sky Center
As a national resource center for American Indian and Alaska Native health issues, One Sky Center offers presentations and publications on providing culturally appropriate treatment for this population. A special Native-to-Native mentorship program may help you line up peer supports for your clients, as well.
SAMHSA Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy
OTAP is SAMHSA’s primary point of contact for any tribal governments and organizations or state or federal agencies dealing with behavioral health issues in the Native American community. Their mission is to prompt the efficient and effective delivery of resources and services for prevention, treatment, and recover support in culturally sensitive ways. They offer technical assistance and training directly to tribal communities, and offer funding opportunities that may be applied to substance abuse counseling programs.
Resources for Addiction Counselors Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-Spirit Individuals (LGBTQIA2S+)
There is relatively little data and less focus on how drug and alcohol addiction impacts individuals identifying as LGBTQIA2S+.
Yet what substance abuse counselors do know is that this is a population that is already at high risk of abuse, mental health issues, and suicide… all problems that are also caused or made worse by substance use disorders.
So specialized assistance in working with LGBTQIA2S+ patients of all ages and ethnic groups is always welcome. These resources will get you started.
The Trevor Project
The primary goal of The Trevor Project is suicide prevention among LGBTQ+ youth. But with expertise in crisis management and a strong awareness of the connection between substance use disorders and LGBTQ+ youth suicide, it’s also a strong resource for SUD counselors working with gender-queer or questioning kids.
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
GLAAD has been around so long they hadn’t invented the BTQ+ yet when they were coming up with a name. Nonetheless, the organization offers one of the best resource clearinghouses for transgendered people in crisis or facing legal difficulties. You can consult their list for various types of resources when your LGBTQ+ clients need more kinds of help than you can offer.
Partnership To End Addiction LGBTQ+ and Family Substance Use Information
One of the big challenges for LGBTQ+ individuals with substance use disorders is that they are less likely to have family support in ending the cycle of addiction. This website provides information and guidance to families who may already be experiencing rifts but want to help their loved ones regardless of gender identity.
Faces & Voices of Recovery LGBTQ+ Recovery Resources
Offering an extensive catalog of both online communities and local safe spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals trying to kick an addiction, this page offers places to turn for help with clients no matter where you practice.
Gay & Sober
A dedicated non-profit organization that serves LGBTQ people who are recovering from substance use disorders, Gay & Sober is packed with sobriety resources and is behind many events to help LGBTQ+ individuals connect with others going through similar struggles. A meeting directory with LGBTQ+ supportive groups for AA, NA, and AL-ANON is a great resource for SUD counselors everywhere.
Resources for Substance Use Disorder Counseling for Incarcerated and Recently Released Individuals
The war on drugs has absolutely packed America’s criminal justice system with people who often need addiction treatment a lot more than just the punitive treatment they are getting.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that around 65 percent of the U.S. prison population has an active substance use disorder. Another 20 percent committed their crimes under the influence of drugs or alcohol. That’s a big chunk of people both actively incarcerated or who have recently been paroled or released who have significant trouble with addiction.
Yet it’s a population that needs your assistance more than most—without agency or freedom, prisoners are reliant on the very system they’re trapped in to provide the help they need to kick addiction.
Most of the resources for fighting substance use disorders in correctional settings come through various state prison systems, so it’s always a good idea for SUD counselors to check there first. But these national resources and toolkits can help you no matter where you are located in the United States.
Bureau of Prisons Substance Abuse Treatment
Dealing first-hand with issues facing inmates with substance use disorders has given the federal BOP a lot of experience in the unique challenges of this population. You can find the options for treatment within the federal system listed here, from Nonresidential Drug Abuse Treatment to the intensive Residential Drug Abuse Program. Understanding the options helps you advocate for your clients stuck in the system.
Prison Activist Resource Center
PARC has a comprehensive list of legal, health care, and educational resources that is helpfully organized both by subject and by state. When your incarcerated clients need extra assistance, chances are you will find the best options here.
American Society of Addiction Medicine Treatment in Correctional Settings Toolkit
Stepping into a jail or prison setting for this first time can be intimidating for new SUD counselors. ASAM helps take some of the mystery out of the process with their resource toolkit for providing both medication-assisted and other therapeutic approaches in correctional settings.
National Association of Counties Opioid Treatment in Incarcerated Populations
Jail systems across the country are primarily managed by counties, so it makes good sense that NACO is a leader in delivering resources for combating opioid use disorder in incarcerated populations. Medication-assisted treatment modalities as well as advocacy support are available here to help you get effective programs off the ground in your community jails.
Resources for Unhoused Individuals With Substance Use Disorders
A 2023 survey by the United States Conference of Mayors found that more than 38 percent of unhoused people are alcohol dependent, and another quarter use other harmful and addictive substances.
Yet this is also a population with the least access to resources for overcoming addiction. Substance use disorder and homelessness can become an endless feedback loop… the drugs disconnect people from the basic skills required to self-sustain, while at the same time providing the only escape from the misery of life on the streets. In fact, in the same survey, almost 70 percent of cities pointed to substance abuse as one of the primary factors in their homelessness issues.
That makes helping unhoused individuals with substance use disorders particularly difficult. And that means these resources are particularly useful.
SAMHSA Treatment for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
The TIEH program is designed to expand access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment through strategic grants. Money is the ultimate resource for delivering evidence-based treatment, peer support, and other supportive services, so this is a great program for your organization to tap into if the unhoused population is your target.
SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery
SOAR is also run by SAMHSA but it’s designed to help individuals experiencing homelessness tap into other federal benefits to support their recovery. This site offers a free online course for case managers and resource library to cover questions about paperwork, funding, and the appeals process for accessing SSI and SSDI resources key to this vulnerable population.
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care
HUD’s Continuum of Care resource page offers quick, one-stop-shopping to finding homeless care, affordable housing options, and special needs housing options in any state, city, or town in America. When you need to know the closest official resources for getting your client some stability in their lives to get them out of the orbit of drugs, this should be your first stop.
The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC)
NAFC offers a similar collection of resources for unhoused individuals seeking treatment, but in the realm of healthcare. Addressing such critical primary needs is outside the scope of addiction counselors, but you can get your clients to the right place for such care quickly using this list.
Resources for Marginalized Youth, Children, and Adolescents Experiencing Addiction
Kids are uniquely vulnerable to substance abuse for a variety of reasons.
First, since they are still physically developing, a variety of substances that may be marginally harmful to adults can have serious, life-changing consequences when kids ingest them. Second, they are susceptible to overdose at relatively low dosages, and have little appreciation for the dangers of various substances. Finally, especially as they reach adolescence, they are in a phase of their lives where their brains are encouraging experimentation and rebellion… often overriding better judgment.
So substance use disorder counselors working with this population can use every tool available. These resources may be your silver bullet.
Substance Use Prevention Resources for Youth and College Students | SAMHSA
SAMHSA, once again, recognizes the threat and has put together a wide range of publications and tip sheets for both kids and SUD counselors who work with them. More importantly for this very online and mobile-device using demographic, they offer apps that offer the same information in an easy-to-absorb format.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Substance Use Resource Center
AACAP is primarily an organization for practicing psychiatrists, but their substance use resource center has a wealth of information and resources useful to both SUD counselors and to families afflicted by substance use disorders.
High Risk Substance Use in Youth | Adolescent and School Health | CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t have a lot to do with treatment, but they both track youth substance use rates and put together a set of valuable resources for parents and counselors working with parents. These include educational curriculum plans, parent engagement, and links between substance use and sexual risk behaviors in teens.
National Association for Children of Addiction
One of the biggest risk factors for addiction in youth and teens is having a parent with a substance use disorder. So getting ahead of the dysfunction that can lead kids down the same with is important for SUD counselors. NACOA understand the risks and offers training and pre-baked children’s programs to help with the work.
CRAFFT Substance Use Screening Tool for Adolescents
Aimed squarely at clinicians, CRAFFT offers a quick, evidence-validated screening tool to identify adolescents at risk of substance use disorders. It’s a valuable addition to the kit of substance abuse counselors who have to evaluate large number of kids quickly and accurately.
Resources for Veterans and Military Service Members With Substance Use Disorders
It’s a fact that the American military is disproportionately made up of minorities already, who therefore fall into one or more of the disadvantaged groups we’ve already listed here.
But military service itself can be a big risk factor for drug and alcohol abuse. And the outcomes for veterans who are struggling with addiction can be worse than for any other group.
Veterans are twice as likely to die by overdose, and more prone to suicidal tendencies than other members of society.
But treating veterans for substance use disorders often runs into unique obstacles. On top of commonly co-occuring disorders like PTSD and depression, many service members feel dissociated from the very society they volunteered to protect. That makes it tough for ordinary SUD counselors to connect with and influence them.
SAFE Programs For Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, Families
Stop the Addiction Facility Epidemic understands the tragedy that comes when a person who has volunteered to serve in defense of their country instead falls to the scourge of substance use disorders. The organization also knows that counseling for vets takes a different skillset, mindset, and resources than for other civilians. Their Virtual Veterans weekly recover meetings, Military Wellness Programs, and Emotional Ruck workshop for families and caregivers takes all the positive elements of military service and turns them in your favor for treatment.
Substance Use Treatment For Veterans | Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs may be your best first stop as an addiction counselor working with veterans. Recognizing the major problem in the population it is dedicated to serving, the VA provides 24/7 access to crisis counseling, medical detox programs, and comprehensive co-occuring disorder treatment that bundles PTSD and depression therapy with substance use disorder counseling.
NAADAC Addiction Treatment in Military & Veteran Culture Certificate
One of the best things you can do for your veteran counseling skills is to build the right credentials for dealing with this population. NAADAC offers a specialized online training series backed up by quizzes to ensure that you have a solid command of the material. You’ll learn invaluable information about veteran culture, addiction and transition issues, and core clinical competencies required for treating vets and their families.
Smokefree Veterans
Part of a larger government program designed to help people kick smoking, Smokefree Veterans is a free resource aimed specifically at vets trying to beat the nicotine habit. Although cigarettes usually rank toward the low end of things SUD counselors are concerned about, the military is an incubator for smoking addiction and the health risks over the long term are real. Anything you can offer to help vets get off the cancer sticks can help.
VetChange
Another offering directly from the VA, VetChange is a revolutionary app designed to help veterans lower their alcohol dependency, particularly as it relates to dealing with PTSD. It can be used in conjunction with other therapy, so feel free to get your clients on it as another angle of attach on alcoholism.