What does a professional in the AODA field hope to accomplish in an individual counseling session? What a professional in the AODA field hopes to accomplish in an individual counseling session is to develop a therapeutic relationship with clients, families, and concerned others, in order to facilitate self-exploration, disclosure, and problem solving. The AODA professional must demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication to establish rapport with their client. They must, during the first session, discuss with the client the rationale, purpose, and procedures associated with the screening and assessment process to facilitate client understanding and cooperation. In addition, they must assess the client’s current situation, including signs and symptoms of intoxication and withdrawal, by evaluating observed behavior and other available information to determine the client’s immediate needs. They must administer the appropriate screening and assessment tools, as well as, counseling strategies, which are specific to the client’s age, developmental level, culture, and gender, in order to obtain objective data to further assess client’s current problems and needs. They must obtain relevant history and related information from the client and other pertinent sources in order to establish eligibility and appropriateness to facilitate the assessment process. The professional must screen and assess for physical, medical and co-occurring disorders that might require additional assessment and referral. They must interpret the results of all of the client’s data, in order to integrate all available information and determine an appropriate plan of action, together, with the client. Next, the professional needs to develop a written summary of the results of the assessment, in order to document and support the treatment recommendations. The AODA professional must