What does co-occurring mean?

It is a general term for a substance use concern that is present together with a mental health concern. It does not establish what is causing what, and it is not a diagnosis. A qualified provider can talk with you about assessment and support options.

Should substance use and mental health concerns be addressed together?

It is worth asking. NIDA says it is usually better to treat co-occurring conditions at the same time, but the right arrangement depends on your situation and the services available. Ask how a provider handles both and whether they coordinate with other professionals.

Do I need a mental health diagnosis before I start?

No. You can describe what you are experiencing in your own words. If an assessment or diagnosis would help guide care, a provider can explain what that involves and who would do it.

Can counseling happen alongside psychiatric care or medication?

Often it can. Ask your counselor and your prescriber how they would work together and what information they would share with your permission. Decisions about medication belong with a qualified prescriber.

Dual Diagnosis Counseling in Minnesota

When substance use and emotional distress overlap

Alcohol or other substance use can occur alongside anxiety, depression, trauma-related distress, or other mental health concerns. Sometimes a person is unsure what is contributing to what, or which concern to raise first. That uncertainty is a valid reason to ask for support. It is not a diagnosis.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that co-occurring conditions can interact and that it is usually better to treat them at the same time rather than separately. Only a qualified provider, working with you, can assess your circumstances.

What co-occurring and dual diagnosis mean

You will see both terms used for the same situation: a substance use concern that is present together with a mental health concern. Neither term says which came first or what is causing what. You do not need to use clinical language to start a conversation. You can begin with what you have noticed, such as changes in mood or sleep, use that feels harder to manage, current stressors or past experiences, and what you hope might change.

Ask how care can address both

When you contact a counselor, ask how they approach substance use alongside mental health concerns, what their license and role cover, and what happens if your needs call for another type of care. Ask how the two of you will decide on goals and review whether the approach is helping.

One provider or a coordinated team

Care may involve one provider addressing related concerns, or coordinated support from more than one. Minnesota DHS describes integrated treatment as combining mental health and substance use professionals in a single treatment approach, and SAMHSA recommends integrated care for people living with both.

Those descriptions do not mean every individual clinician runs a formal integrated program. Different licenses cover different kinds of care, so it helps to ask who would handle what. Radiant's team also provides psychiatric and medication management. With your permission, providers can share information and coordinate, and you can ask exactly how that communication would work.

Approaches a counselor may draw on

A counselor may use Motivational Interviewing to explore your own reasons for change without shame or pressure. Some counselors also bring in skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy for coping with distress and regulating emotions. Our guide to DBT-informed counseling skills for recovery explains what those skills are and how they differ from a full DBT program.

Dual diagnosis support with Laura Carlisle, LADC

Laura Carlisle is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor at Radiant Recovery and Counseling Services. Her profile lists dual diagnosis, meaning co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns, among her focus areas, along with anxiety, depression, and trauma. Read Laura's profile and ask directly whether her services fit your needs and what care would involve.

A next step that feels manageable

Reaching out does not commit you to a treatment plan. You can ask what information would be useful for a first conversation, and a first message only needs your name, a phone number or email, and a line about what you are hoping to get help with. Personal health details can wait until you are speaking with someone. For concerns that are mainly about substance use, start with substance use counseling in Minnesota.

If you need help right now

If you or someone else is in immediate danger or having a medical emergency, call 911. If you are in emotional distress or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Radiant Recovery and Counseling Services provides outpatient care and is not a crisis service.

Related pages at Radiant Recovery

Substance use counseling in Minnesota

DBT-informed counseling skills for recovery

Psychiatric and medication management

Anxiety therapy in Minnesota

Depression therapy in Minnesota

Trauma therapy in Minnesota

Laura Carlisle, LADC

Talk with Radiant

Contact Radiant Recovery and Counseling Services to ask how counseling with Laura Carlisle, LADC, could address substance use and mental health concerns together.

Call (612) 429-1662 or request an appointment online. Please keep first messages brief and save health details for a call or session.

This page offers general information. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from a licensed professional. Reading it does not create a counselor-client relationship.

Counseling for Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns in Minnesota