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Individual Clinicians

Treating Substance Use Within Ordinary Psychotherapy

For individual clinicians

Treating substance use within ordinary psychotherapy

Most clinicians encounter problematic substance use in everyday practice but were never trained in how to work with it. This course teaches a practical approach you can use within the therapy you already do.

12 filmed modules  ·  3.5 CE credits  ·  watch at your own pace

See it before you enroll

What the films look like

 

An excerpt from Andrew Tatarsky: Harm Reduction Psychotherapy for Addiction & Compulsions — unscripted, professionally shot, real clinical dialogue.

Why this course

Preparing for clinical work

Problematic substance use and compulsive behaviors are common in everyday therapy, but many clinicians receive little training in how to work with them.

This course teaches a practical process for helping patients understand their use, decide what they want to change, and make realistic changes over time — within the therapy you already do.

What you’ll gain

Working with risk

Skills for handling risk and ambiguous clinical situations.

Beyond the abstinence mandate

A continuum-based understanding that moves past all-or-nothing goals.

Ambivalence and mixed goals

Tools for working with ambivalence, mixed goals, and gradual change.

Inside ordinary therapy

Ways to integrate substance-use work into ordinary therapeutic relationships.

Who it’s for

Made for clinicians in general practice

Unprepared in the room

Psychotherapists who feel unprepared or stuck when substance use enters the room.

Compulsions too

Clinicians working with compulsions like phone addiction or porn use.

Risk without coercion

Practitioners seeking ethical, non-coercive ways to address risk while keeping patients in treatment.

CE credits

Getting your CE credits takes 3 steps

Taught by Dr. Andrew Tatarsky. No live sessions and no waiting period.

1

Enroll

Choose the CE option below. The course carries 3.5 CE credits, listed up front.

2

Watch on your schedule

Stream anytime, on any device. Pause and resume — your progress is saved automatically.

3

Get your certificate

When you finish, your CE certificate is emailed to you through our accredited partner — ready to submit to your board.

Good to know

Common questions

Is there an exam?

No test is required to complete the course. There is an optional mastery quiz, with unlimited retakes, if you’d like to confirm you’ve absorbed the material — a knowledge check, not a barrier.

How fast will I get my certificate?

Immediately after finishing — no waiting period.

Will this count toward my state’s requirement?

3.5 CE credits are available for most U.S. psychologists, social workers, counselors, marriage & family therapists, psychoanalysts, and creative arts therapists. Please see the CE Approvals page for complete accreditation information.

Can I start and finish later?

Yes — your progress saves automatically, and there’s no deadline to complete the course once purchased.

Choose your access

Two ways to take the course

Select the option that fits your goals, whether you’re taking the course to learn or to earn CE credits.

Most popular

Standard access

$299

Best for learning and clinical application

  • Full masterclass access
  • Watch at your own pace
  • Immediate access
  • No additional steps
Enroll without CE credits

CE credit access

$315

For licensed professionals requiring certification

  • Everything in standard access
  • 3.5 CE credits included
  • Verified via accredited partner
  • Optional mastery quiz
Earn CE credits

Adding Nancy McWilliams’s diagnosis masterclass too? The two-course bundle saves you $54 →

Preparing for Clinical Work

For decades, substance use was taught largely through disease-based, abstinence-only models shaped by criminalization rather than clinical reality. As a result, one of the most common issues in modern practice is still treated as a specialty rather than as part of ordinary psychotherapy. 

   

What students gain ?

  • Skills for handling risk and ambiguous clinical situations
  • A continuum-based understanding that moves beyond abstinence mandates
  • Tools for working with ambivalence, mixed goals, and gradual change
  • Ways to integrate substance-use work into ordinary therapeutic relationships

 

Most clinicians encounter substance use regularly, but were never trained to work with it. This course addresses that gap directly. It offers a flexible approach that helps clinicians deepen the therapeutic relationship while addressing substance use — so meaningful change can happen even when risk and ambivalence are present.

 

Who this is for

  • Psychotherapists who feel unprepared or stuck when substance use enters the room

  • Clinicians working with compulsions like phone addiction or porn use

  • Practitioners seeking ethical, non-coercive ways to address risk while keeping patients in treatment

  • Social work, psychology, counseling, and MFT programs
  • Graduate students preparing for real-world clinical practice
  • Faculty seeking to modernize substance-use education

 

CE credits

The program is taught by Dr. Andrew Tatarsky. Earning the CE credits is straightforward: watch the modules on your own schedule, take an optional mastery quiz if you’d like, and your CE certificate is emailed to you through our accredited partner — no live sessions and no waiting period.

Getting Your CE Credits Takes 3 Steps

1

Choose Your Course

Pick the masterclass that fits your CE needs — each course lists its exact CE hour count up front.

2

Watch On Your Schedule

Stream anytime, on any device. Pause and resume — your progress is saved automatically.

3

Get Your Certificate

When you finish, your CE certificate is generated automatically and emailed to you — ready to submit to your board.

Is there an exam?

No test is required to complete the course. There is an optional mastery quiz, with unlimited retakes, if you’d like to confirm you’ve absorbed the material — a knowledge check, not a barrier. Your CE credit is issued through our accredited partner once you finish.

How fast will I get my certificate?

Immediately after finishing — no waiting period.

Will this count toward my state’s requirement?

3.5 CE credits are available for most U.S. psychologists, social workers, counselors, marriage & family therapists, psychoanalysts, and creative arts therapists. Please see the CE Approvals page for complete accreditation information.

Can I start and finish later?

Yes — your progress saves automatically, and there’s no deadline to complete the course once purchased.

Preview Individual Clinicians Masterclass

Substance Use Within Ordinary Psychotherapy

 

Choose Your Access

Select the option that best fits your goals, whether you're learning or earning CE credits.

Standard Access

$299

Most Popular

  • Full masterclass access
  • Watch at your own pace
  • Immediate access
  • No additional steps

 

Enroll Without CE Credits

Best for learning and clinical application.</p

CE Credit Access

$315

For Licensed Professionals

  • Includes CE certification
  • Verified via accredited partner
  • Includes Testing
  • Designed for licensed professionals

Earn CE Credits

For professionals requiring certification.

Begin Your Training Journey