Challenge Your Exam Readiness With Our Free Master Addiction Counselor Practice Questions

Screening tools like the DAST-10 indicate risk but do not establish a diagnosis. The Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) proceeds from screening to assessment by using a structured, criteria-based interview anchored in DSM-5-TR to determine presence and severity of a substance use disorder across domains (impaired control, social impairment, risky use, pharmacologic indicators). This step respects the client’s perspective while ensuring accuracy for safety-sensitive decisions. Issuing a clearance letter (A) without assessment is ethically problematic and could endanger the client or others. Scheduling discharge for “resistance” (C) ignores motivational ambivalence and misses engagement opportunities. Instituting extended testing (D) without collaboration risks coercion and may erode alliance. A best-practice assessment also explores substances used, patterns, contexts, consequences, prior treatments, and co-occurring conditions, integrating collateral information with consent. Findings then inform level-of-care decisions, risk management, and tailored feedback that can gently challenge denial while preserving rapport.