CASAC UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
●● Biopsychosocial perspective
Answer: This recognizes that there are biological, psychological and
social causes of substance abuse and dependence.
●● Biological factors
Answer: These include brain chemistry problems, which may be genetic,
making some people particularly vulnerable to addiction to certain drugs
once they try them.
●● Psychological factors
Answer: These include cognitive styles, personality traits, and early
developmental experiences that may contribute to a client's causes of
substance abuse and dependence.
●● Social factors
Answer: These include poverty, oppression, poorly developed social
skills, and family dysfunction that may contribute to a client's causes of
substance abuse and dependence.
,●● Motivational interviewing
Answer: This is a style of interacting with clents, used not only for
assessment, but for all phases of treatment, that is particularly helpful for
reducing defensiveness and encouraging therapeutic collaboration
between the counselor and client. Uses the interpersonal process to
enhance clients' motivation to change, and encourages clients to move
on to the next stage of readiness for change.
●● Assessment Instruments
Answer: These aid in the identification of, and treatment planning for
substance related disorders.
●● Reliability
Answer: This refers to the consistency with which an assessment
instrument measures.
●● Validity
Answer: This refers to what an assessment instrument measures and how
it is used.
●● Screening Instrument
Answer: This distinguishes individuals who do not have a disorder from
those who might have one.
, ●● AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)
Answer: The 10 items on this instrument developed by the World Health
Organization ask about frequency of drinking, alcohol dependence, and
problems caused by alcohol. Scores range from 0 to 40 with a score of 8
or higher indicating the likelihood of harmful alcohol consumption.
●● CAGE
Answer: Four questions - yes to one indicates the possibility of alcohol
dependence. Cut down? Annoyed by criticism of drinking behavior?
Guilty about drinking? Eye-opener?
●● DAST
Answer: Drug Abuse Screening Test, adapted from MAST and used to
detect abuse or dependence on drugs other than alcohol.
●● MAST
Answer: Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test - yes or no to 25
questions.
●● RAPS-4 (Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen)
Answer: An answer of yes to one or more questions indcates the
possibility of alcohol dependence during the past year. The questions
have to do with remorse, amnesia, performance of life duties, and
starting the day with alcohol.
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
●● Biopsychosocial perspective
Answer: This recognizes that there are biological, psychological and
social causes of substance abuse and dependence.
●● Biological factors
Answer: These include brain chemistry problems, which may be genetic,
making some people particularly vulnerable to addiction to certain drugs
once they try them.
●● Psychological factors
Answer: These include cognitive styles, personality traits, and early
developmental experiences that may contribute to a client's causes of
substance abuse and dependence.
●● Social factors
Answer: These include poverty, oppression, poorly developed social
skills, and family dysfunction that may contribute to a client's causes of
substance abuse and dependence.
,●● Motivational interviewing
Answer: This is a style of interacting with clents, used not only for
assessment, but for all phases of treatment, that is particularly helpful for
reducing defensiveness and encouraging therapeutic collaboration
between the counselor and client. Uses the interpersonal process to
enhance clients' motivation to change, and encourages clients to move
on to the next stage of readiness for change.
●● Assessment Instruments
Answer: These aid in the identification of, and treatment planning for
substance related disorders.
●● Reliability
Answer: This refers to the consistency with which an assessment
instrument measures.
●● Validity
Answer: This refers to what an assessment instrument measures and how
it is used.
●● Screening Instrument
Answer: This distinguishes individuals who do not have a disorder from
those who might have one.
, ●● AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)
Answer: The 10 items on this instrument developed by the World Health
Organization ask about frequency of drinking, alcohol dependence, and
problems caused by alcohol. Scores range from 0 to 40 with a score of 8
or higher indicating the likelihood of harmful alcohol consumption.
●● CAGE
Answer: Four questions - yes to one indicates the possibility of alcohol
dependence. Cut down? Annoyed by criticism of drinking behavior?
Guilty about drinking? Eye-opener?
●● DAST
Answer: Drug Abuse Screening Test, adapted from MAST and used to
detect abuse or dependence on drugs other than alcohol.
●● MAST
Answer: Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test - yes or no to 25
questions.
●● RAPS-4 (Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen)
Answer: An answer of yes to one or more questions indcates the
possibility of alcohol dependence during the past year. The questions
have to do with remorse, amnesia, performance of life duties, and
starting the day with alcohol.
