U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment 

www.samhsa.gov 

CSAT’s 

Knowledge Application Program 

KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment 

and Vocational Services 

KAP Keys
 For Clinicians 

Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance 

Abuse Treatment and 

Vocational 

Services 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Introduction 

These KAP Keys were developed to accompany the Treatment 

Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series published by the Center for 

Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance Abuse and 

Mental Health Services Administration. These KAP Keys are 

based entirely on TIP 38 and are designed to meet the needs 

of the busy clinician for concise, easily accessed "how-to" information. 

For more information on the topics in these KAP Keys, readers 

are referred to TIP 38. 

Other Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) 

that are relevant to these KAP Keys: 

TIP 7, Screening and Assessment for Alcohol and Other Drug 

Abuse Among Adults in the Criminal Justice System (1994) 

BKD138 

TIP 12, Combining Substance Abuse Treatment With 

Intermediate Sanctions for Adults in the Criminal Justice 

System (1994) BKD144 

TIP 17, Treatment Planning for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse 

Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System (1995) 

BKD165 

TIP 35, Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Abuse 

Treatment (1999) BKD342 

TAP 18, Checklist for Monitoring Alcohol and Other Drug 

Confidentiality Compliance (1996) BKD722 

TAP 24, Welfare Reform and Substance Abuse Treatment 

Confidentiality: General Guidance For Reconciling Need to 

Know and Privacy (1999) BKD336 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Prevocational Counseling 

Activities 

1 

Prevocational services are those that are typically provided 

before an individual begins the job-seeking process. Although 

some clients have work-related skills that might be recovered, 

updated, or refined through a training process, others have no 

job skills and need to develop them for the first time. Following 

is a list of the kinds of prevocational counseling that can be 

used. 

Career Exploration 

• Generate an autobiography on vocational and educational 

experiences 

• Visit community resources including libraries, stores, 

businesses 

• Read newspaper for specific purpose (e.g., employment 

trends, want-ads) 

• Watch educational and interactive programs to stimulate 

discussion and practice new behavior 

Structured Activity 

• Take a battery of vocational tests 

• Pursue and perform volunteer assignments 

• Take continuing education courses to determine and 

validate interests 

• Write a resume 

Psychosocial-spiritual development 

• Keep a diary of daily activities 

• Participate in role-playing exercises (e.g., for developing 

interpersonal communication skills, expressing needs and 

wants without appearing demanding) 

• Complete values clarification, skills assessment, and 

personal traits exercises 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Vocational Information 

From Initial Screening 

2 

The alcohol or drug counselor can complete an initial screening for vocational issues. Following is a list of the kinds of vocational information that the counselor can gather. 

Educational History 

Construct a brief description of the client's educational history 

in order to evaluate current academic functioning and potential 

to engage in training that could range from remedial to 

advanced. The history should include the following: 

• Highest school grade completed, and when 

• Client attitude toward education and future training (verbal 

report may differ from behavior) 

• Favorite subjects, and why 

• Extracurricular activities 

• Potential for future education and/or training 

Standardized achievement tests of math, reading, and general 

learning ability are often used to augment interview questions. 

The client's educational history can also be used to indicate 

vocation-related interests and values. 

Vocational History 

Construct a brief description of the client's work history in 

order to estimate current and potential vocational functioning. 

Minimally, ask questions addressing the following: 

• Types of occupations in which the client has worked 

• Chronology of jobs within the last 15 years, including the job 

title, name of employer, length of employment at each job, 

and primary job duties 

• Reason for leaving each job 

• Client-identified work skills and any certifications 

• Client's relationship with supervisor and coworkers 

• Favorite and least favorite jobs, and why 

• Work-related ambitions and goals 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Early-stage Vocational 

Issues and Approaches 

3 

Activities of Daily Living 

• Learn effective socialization skills 

• Interact without the use of drugs, with people who have not 

used drugs 

• Engage in activities of daily living 

• Begin to incorporate more healthful habits into daily living 

• Learn appropriate dress, hygiene, walk, talk, and eye contact 

• Learn to manage money 

• Open and maintain bank accounts, budgets, and save 

money 

• Change living situation, if necessary 

• Acquire stable house away from people currently using 

drugs; reunite with spouse, parents, or children 

• Check for any outstanding arrests on the client's records and 

follow up on results 

• Clean up legal record 

• Increase independence and responsibility 

• Assume responsibility for managing money and solving problems 

• Improve communication 

• Talk to new people in new ways 

• Learn to structure and be responsible for time 

• Manage time, calender, appointments 

• Organize documents, e.g., social security card, birth certificate, military discharge papers, driver's license, diploma, 

training certificates 

• Get credentials in order and ready to present 

• Consider spirituality as a part of daily living 

• Determine sources for spiritual expression 

Education 

• Evaluate educational level, skills, and potential 

• Take tests, assess deficits, plan for remediation if required 

• Examine attitude toward school 

• Highlight positive points 

• Consider long term educational and vocational goals 

• Consider benefits of further education 

Continued on Back 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Employment 

• Develop an understanding of the world of work 

• Read career literature; visit work sites 

• Adopt an identity as a worker 

• Explore opportunities to be productive 

• Examine work experience for past success and failures 

• Develop a realistic picture of accomplishments and problems 

• Consider potential for transferability of skills 

• Compare skill to job demands 

Vocational Skills 

• Evaluate vocational level 

• Take test; engage in a situational assessment 

• Evaluate courses that have been taken; differentiate from 

courses that have been completed 

• Reexamine prior training and what is still current 

• Consider current vocational skills and their potential for 

employment 

• Perform skills assessment 

• Examine desires for training 

• Consider why further training is necessary; consider the context of specific goals 

Psychosocial-Spiritual Values 

• Explore alternatives to substance-using lifestyle and personal 

value system 

• Explore goals, interests, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and 

personal values 

• Learn to consider personal and spiritual needs 

• Identify and acknowledge specific talents 

• Develop the concepts of lifestyle change and psychosocial 

development 

• Have a stable home and intact family: receive regular paychecks 

• Examine the relationship of substance abuse to other life issues 

• Consider ways to achieve positive parenting, good health, and 

economic independence from welfare and other support systems 

• Revise one's self-concept in relation to independent functioning at home, school and work 

• Develop a positive outlook 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Assessment Tools 4 

The following are instruments that can be used to screen 

clients for various areas of vocational interest. 

Categories of Interests 

• Geist Picture Interest Inventory 

• Kuder Occupational Interest Survey 

• Reading-Free Vocational Interest Inventory 

• The Self-Directed Search 

• Strong Interest Inventory 

• Vocational Preference Inventory Interest Checklist 

• Wide Range Interest Opinion Test 

Vocational Functioning 

• Addiction Severity Index (ASI) 

• Career Attitudes and Strategies InventoryTM 

• Career Thoughts InventoryTM 

• My Vocational Situation 

• Wonderlic Basic Skills Test 

• Work Potential 

Functioning in Particular Areas Related to Employability 

• ASI 

• Employability evaluation 

• Employability plan 

• Interview information 

• Placement readiness checklist 

• Previous work experience 

• Readiness planning checklist 

Emotional Functioning 

• Interview information 

• Tennessee Self-Concept Scale 

• The Psychological-Screening Inventory 

• Verified work history 

Continued on Back 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Intellectual and Aptitude Functioning 

• ASI 

• Adult Basic Learning Examination (ABLE) 

• Educational experience and records 

• General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) 

• Microcomputer Evaluation, Screening and Assessment 

(MESA) 

• Minnesota Clerical Test 

• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 

• Revised Beta Examination 

• Slosson Intelligence Test 
KAP KEYS Based on TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational 

Services 

Making a Referral to a 

Vocational or Training Program 

5 

When a substance abuse treatment program refers a client to 

an outside agency providing vocational services, it has three 

choices: 

1. A counselor can give the client the agency's name, address, 

and telephone number and urge him to make an appointment. 

2. A counselor can call the agency for the client and set up an 

appointment. 

3. The program can invite the agency to interview clients 

and/or provide services on its premises. 

The first option requires no communications between the 

program and the vocational or training agency; thus no consent is required. However, the first option does require the 

client to take the initiative, something he may have difficulty 

doing. The second option requires the client to sign a consent 

form permitting the counselor to call the agency and set up an 

appointment. The third option provides the path of least resistance for the client—he need only present himself to the outside 

agency on the day it schedules services at the program. By 

appearing to request services from the outside agency, the 

client is making a disclosure about her participation in treatment and no consent form is required. However, if the program 

sets up appointments for clients beforehand, it will need a consent form signed by the client before it can present the list of 

applicants for services to the vocational or training program. 

And, as noted above, the substance abuse treatment program 

must have a proper, signed consent form if it and the vocational or training agency are to communicate in the future about 

any client they both serve. 
Ordering Information
 

TIP 38 

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment
 

And Vocational Services
 

Easy Ways to Obtain Free Copies 

of All TIP Products 

1. Call SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and 

Drug Information (NCADI) at 800-729-6686, 

TDD (hearing impaired) 800-487-4889. 

2. Visit CSAT’s Website at www.csat.samhsa.gov 

Do not reproduce or distribute this publication for a fee without specific, written authorization from the Office of 

Communications, Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services. 

DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 01-3609 

Printed 2001