How can counselors assist and better serve clients of color with substance use disorder? How can counselors apply culturally inclusive care for persons diagnosed with substance use disorder? Awareness, knowledge, sensitivity, inclusivity, equal access, and opportunity are essential to fair substance treatment services. Dr. Carla converses with Dr. Holly about her work that highlights disparities for Black people navigating substance use and mental health treatment.

You will learn to:

• Examine your own biases (implicit/explicit), ideas and beliefs regarding clients of color with substance use disorder.

• Describe and apply ways to better assist and serve Black clients with substance use disorder.

• Recognize and discuss the negative impacts non-culturally inclusive care.

• Identify various medication-assisted treatments depending on the substance.

The Commonwealth Fund Minority Health Survey found that 23 percent of African-Americans and 15 percent of Latinos felt that they would have received better treatment if they were of another race. Only 6 percent of Whites reported the same feelings (La Veist et al. 2000).

Dr. Holly Sawyer and Dr. Carla Smith discuss the importance of individualized treatment for substance use disorder, the history of the crack and opioid epidemic, medication-assisted treatment, and so much more in this course.

This statistic is one reason why we as mental health providers need to learn the origin and complexity of substance use disorder as well as the policies in place that further discriminate and perpetuate the cycle of substance use disorder in cultures and communities.