Clinical
April 3, 20269 min read
DBT skills you can start using today
Dialectical Behavior Therapy was built for moments of overwhelm. Four skills from our clinical program, explained simply enough to try this week.
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Mikaela ChenClinical
What dual diagnosis actually means (and why it matters)
Most people struggling with substance use are also carrying a mental health condition. Treating one without the other is how relapse gets built. Here’s how integrated care works.
Dr. Courtney Tracy
Founder, LCSW, PsyD
June 12, 2026
8 min read
Roughly half of people with a substance use disorder also meet criteria for a mental health condition — the overlap is the norm, not the exception.Treating substance use without treating the underlying condition leaves the engine of relapse running.Integrated treatment means one team, one plan, and both conditions addressed in the same clinical day.You don’t need to know which came first — a good assessment untangles that for you.
Most people struggling with substance use are also carrying a mental health condition. Treating one without the other is how relapse gets built. Here’s how integrated care works.
Related Reading
- A full diagnostic assessment in the first days — not a checkbox screening — that maps both conditions and how they interact
- One treatment plan where the trauma work, the mood stabilization, and the substance use recovery are sequenced deliberately
- Psychiatry that understands both sides — prescribing for depression in early recovery is a specialized skill
- Group work where you don’t have to split yourself in half — the person with anxiety and the person who drinks are the same person
- Discharge planning that accounts for both relapse pathways, not just one
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Roughly half of people with a substance use disorder also meet criteria for a mental health condition — the overlap is the norm, not the exception.Treating substance use without treating the underlying condition leaves the engine of relapse running.Integrated treatment means one team, one plan, and both conditions addressed in the same clinical day.You don’t need to know which came first — a good assessment untangles that for you.
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Put these insights to work in your recovery
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