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Charlotte Bailey's avatar

Thank you for this! This really resonates. When I moved from working in drug and alcohol services into IAPT within the same area, it became quickly apparent that there was a lot of confusion and, sadly, a common misconception that substance use automatically meant someone was excluded from therapy. The nuance and context of someone’s coping strategies weren't routinely considered. Fortunately when I brought this up I was tasked with delivering training on the IAPT Positive Practice Guidance across both services, which created more awareness and created an opportunity to open up more conversations. I was ‘allowed’ to develop a care pathway between the two services - one that recognised substance use as part of someone’s broader story, rather than a barrier to receiving support.

That was a few year ago now but I’m always glad to see others increasing awareness of it - these conversations are so important for acknowledging our own fears, misconceptions, areas for development, bias etc and ultimately helping us support people more holistically and effectively.

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