Substance use recovery / SUR-A07-3
Return-to-Use Response — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about return-to-use response while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Jordan misses an appointment after a return to use and feels embarrassed to call.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A return to use calls for reassessment and support rather than shame.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore return-to-use response using an ordinary or fictional example? We can adapt it, observe, or stop." Ask what the person wants from the conversation.
Elicit before teaching
Ask: "How does this show up, if at all, in your own words?" Offer this idea tentatively: A return to use calls for reassessment and support rather than shame. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Draft a nonjudgmental plan to reconnect with care, review immediate safety, and ask what needs to change. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Jordan misses an appointment after a return to use and feels embarrassed to call.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What message would make reconnecting easier? Avoid assigning motives or interpreting silence as agreement.
Respond to a mismatch
If the person rejects the frame, say: "Thank you for correcting it. What would be more useful?" Return to their language or choose a different approach.
Close with agency
Ask which observation, question, or support request the person wants to keep. Confirm a manageable ending and appropriate follow-up; do not turn a tentative possibility into a homework obligation.
Prompts for this resource
- Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
- What message would make reconnecting easier?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
Substance Use Disorders — National Institutes of Health
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.