Addictions, Substance Use Category

On Mourning and Recovery-Integrating Stages of Grief and Change Toward a Neuroscience-Based Model of Attachment Adaptation in Addiction Treatment

1 CE Hour
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About the Course

Interpersonal attachment and drug addiction share many attributes across their behavioral and neurobiological domains. Understanding the over-lapping brain circuitry of attachment formation and addiction can lead to a better understanding of how it relates to metal illness and comorbid substance use disorders. The authors examine a theory that the recovery from addiction is a grief process, highlighting the Kubler-Ross stages of grief and Prochaska’s stages of change. Theorizing that attachment to the providers in recovery is the significant factor to success in recovery, and that using grief therapy is the key to recovery with less relapse.

This course is based on the article,On Mourning and Recovery-Integrating Stages of Grief and Change Toward a Neuroscience-Based Model of Attachment Adaptation in Addiction Treatment created by R. Andrew Chambers, M.D. et al. in 2017.

Publication Details

Publication Date: 2017

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

R. Andrew Chambers, M.D.

R. Andrew Chambers, MD, is a neuroscientist, educator, and clinician in the field of addiction psychiatry. His research has investigated the brain anatomy and neural mechanisms that fundamentally link the pathologies of addiction and mental illness. This research translates into the design of a new behavioral health system called the 2 x 4 Model which aims to achieve full integration of addiction and mental health treatment services, professional training, and clinical research.

Sue C. Wallingford, M.A., L.P.C., A.T.R.

Sue Wallingford, has taught in the Graduate Transpersonal Counseling Program for more than a decade. She is the founder and director of the Boulder Art Therapy Collective (BATC), where a variety of art therapy services are offered to the community. She presents locally and nationally about the efficacy of art therapy, particularly as it relates to healing trauma and sustaining communities.

Course Creator

L.A. Rankin

L.A. Rankin is a social worker with experience in many different settings with a variety of clients. She has worked with dementia and Alzheimers patients, dual diagnosis MH/MR, in a battered women’s shelter, and a rape crisis center. She also has 11 years of experience as a child protective social worker, where she earned certificates in domestic abuse/family violence and substance abuse.

Target Audience

Counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for intermediate levels of knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Acknowledge the underlying neurology of substance use, motivation, attachment and grief.
  2. 2 Identify theories of change, grief, attachment and motivation.
  3. 3 Extrapolate that grief is the underlying cause of failure in recovery, and that treating grief may prevent future relapse.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

Any relevant financial disclosures for course material authors can be found in the article.

Course Creator

L.A. Rankin – There are no relevant disclosures.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Wisconsin Bureau of Health Professions (AODA Counselors) (WBHP)

1 CE credit hour
Eligible until Dec 31st, 2041
This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.
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NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)

1 CE credit hour
Eligible until Sep 29th, 2026
This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.
More Info
NAADAC Approved Education Provider

Course Material

References begin on page 468.

Course Material

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