Additional information
by Andrew Tatarsky (Editor)
Harm reduction is a framework for helping drug and alcohol users who cannot or will not stop completely_the majority of users_reduce the harmful consequences of use. Harm reduction accepts that abstinence may be the best outcome for many but relaxes the emphasis on abstinence as the only acceptable goal and criterion of success. Instead, smaller incremental changes in the direction of reduced harmfulness of drug use are accepted. This book shows how these simple changes in emphasis and expectation have dramatic implications for improving the effectiveness of psychotherapy.
Author Biography
Andrew Tatarsky, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from City University of New York. He has a private practice in New York City specializing in harm reduction psychotherapy with drug and alcohol users and is co-director, with Dr. Mark Sehl, of the Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Training Associates, a treatment and training organization. His perspective on substance use problems has evolved over twenty years of experience working in the area as psychotherapist, supervisor, program director, teacher, writer, and public speaker. He is a founding member and Past President of the Addiction Division of the New York State Psychological Association and Chairperson of Mental Health Professionals in Harm Reduction.
