This document provides an overview of essential information necessary for understanding mental health and substance use disorder parity and how to implement and comply with federal parity laws. This guide applies to parity laws in employer-sponsored health plans and group and individual insurance.

This Advisory is based on Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) 21, Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice. It discusses the development of the counseling competencies and the validated research on which they are based, provides a simplified overview of their structure and the elements of a typical competency, and outlines how these competencies are changing the field of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment nationwide. The Advisory also addresses the critical role of cultural competency.

This guide provides information and practices that behavioral health providers can implement in their daily practice with patients or clients who are involved in the criminal justice system. 

This report highlights the structure, responsibilities, policies, services, and financing of single-state agencies and state mental health agencies. The report includes discussion of efforts to integrate physical and behavioral health and efforts by state agencies to address opioid abuse and misuse.

This guide explains prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and how they can enhance clinical decision making. The guide also explains how PDMP improves patient safety, while helping to decrease prescription drug misuse and unintentional overdose deaths.

This report presents a first-of-its-kind collaborative tribal-federal blueprint for improving the behavioral health of American Indians and Alaska Natives. This was developed in response to calls from tribal leaders for improved collaboration with federal agencies to address the behavioral health of their communities.

This guide explores barriers to accessing substance use disorder and mental health treatment services in rural communities, and the benefits of telehealth for these communities. It assists practitioners with implementing telehealth technologies as a means to increase access to services.

This manual introduces a concept of trauma and offers a framework for becoming a trauma-informed organization, system, or service sector. The manual provides a definition of trauma and a trauma-informed approach, and offers 6 key principles and 10 implementation domains.

This guide addresses specific treatment needs of adult men living with substance use disorders. It reviews gender-specific research and best practices, such as common patterns of substance use among men and specific treatment issues and strategies.

This guide helps substance use counselors treat clients with symptoms of depression and substance use conditions. Program administrators will learn how to integrate depression treatment into early drug treatment. The guidelines cover screening, assessment, treatment, counseling, cultural competence, and continuing care.