A Note from the Authors

Welcome to Ethical Practice in Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Counseling, an open-access textbook for students entering the counseling space for co-occurring disorders! This project was made possible by the University of Minnesota Libraries through the Partnership for Affordable Learning Materials (PALM) grant program. Open-access materials are explicitly designed to promote accessibility and affordability in education.

This textbook was created by four students and one faculty member from the Addiction Counseling and Integrated Behavioral Health programs within the College of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The four students who worked diligently on this project received compensation for their work through the money provided by the PALM grant. Paying graduate students for their work is essential to fostering an equitable and supportive academic environment. Graduate students contribute significantly to universities and their prospective fields through research, teaching, internships and service, often juggling these responsibilities alongside their educational pursuits. Fair compensation acknowledges their labor, mitigates financial stress, and allows them to focus on their scholarly and professional development. Furthermore, providing adequate pay promotes diversity and inclusivity in higher education, ensuring that individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds can pursue advanced degrees without undue financial hardship. Recognizing the value of graduate students’ contributions by compensating them fairly is both an ethical imperative and a practical investment in the future of academia and the counseling profession.

Thank you for your interest in this subject matter and your commitment to ethical and appropriate practice in counseling. We hope you enjoy this textbook!