Treatment Strategies for Forensic Psychologists Working with Clients Dealing with Substance Abuse, Legal Charges, and Enabling Parents

Increasingly, 20- and 30-something year-old individuals are referred by attorneys for therapy related to legal charges due to a substance abuse issue. Enabling parents make it difficult for their adult children to make meaningful change in therapy, despite their beneficent motives. Treatment should include individual therapy with the adult child, focusing upon the legal issues, relapse prevention, and personal responsibility. A specific program to implement with the enabling parents is discussed. Finally, the forensic psychologist needs to impart to the referring attorney the need for change, which may include the attorney-family interaction. Ethical considerations are addressed.