Tag: SASSI-4

SYM Scale FAQ

A frequent question we get is regarding the web-based version of the SASSI-4 and how to identify the SYM (Symptoms) scale items on a client’s completed questionnaire. Because the SYM items are face valid they can give you information concerning the client’s substance use and it may be worthwhile to do a content analysis of the SYM items as they directly relate to substance use.

While logged into your sassionline.com account, click on the tab ‘My Clients’ and then click on ‘Support Materials.’ On the Support Materials page click on ‘SASSI-4 User Guide.’ Go to page 19 for the information on SYM. There you will see the 20 SYM items listed. We suggest you print this page out to assist in identifying the SYM items on your clients’ completed questionnaires.

As always, we encourage you to call our free clinical help line for interpretation assistance at 800.726.0526 Option 2.

Across the Pond and Beyond

Did you know that SASSI screening tools are available for use and are obtainable through our international distributors? If you are in, or have friends/colleagues in the UK, Australia, or Greece, please take note of our licensed distributors there for affordable access to SASSI screening tools.

In the UK, the paper & pencil version of the adult SASSI-4 and adolescent SASSI-A3 is available through SASSI Direct Ltd. For ordering information please email sassi@sassidirect.co.uk.

In Australia, the paper & pencil version of the adult SASSI-4 and adolescent SASSI-A3 is available through The Help Now Group. Since purchasing the web-based version of the SASSI through SASSI Online can be challenging for our Australian colleagues due to issues with credit card processing, access and administrations of the web-based version can also be purchased through The Help Now Group. For ordering information please email rodney@thehelpnow.org.

In Greece, a reliable and validated version of the translated adult SASSI-3 in Greek is available through Panagiota Kontoleon. For ordering information please email panagiota@kontoleon.com.gr.

We are pleased that these distributors are working with us to promote screening for those individuals suffering from substance use-related issues and disorders.

SASSI FAQs: Volume 1 | Customer IDs

We are excited to bring you a new series covering common questions on various topics specific to our processes and policies. In this edition of SASSI FAQs we take a quick look at Customer Identifiers or commonly referred to at SASSI as the Customer ID.

All accounts at The SASSI Institute are assigned a Customer ID. That account identifier consists of six characters, with the first two being letters representing the State (US) Province (CA) and ZZ for all other countries. The other four characters can be letters or numbers, but are consistent with the Organization’s name, or the last name of the clinician if the account represents a private practice. Our online shopping cart requires the Customer ID to check-out for paper products. If you do not know your Customer ID, or are a new customer, you can fill out the qualification form at www.sassi.com/qualify to receive a temporary ID so your order can be processed. For SASSI Online customers the Customer ID is found on the My Account tab, and most frequently used during technical support situations, or when an order is placed for the online account over the phone. When purchasing digital products, that form is part of the registration process at www.sassionline.com.

If you ever have any questions about your account, please reach out to our Customer Service Team! They are happy to help you navigate the qualification form and/or registration process. They can be reached at 800.726.0526 option 1 or via email at sassi@sassi.com.

SASSI Online Tips and Tricks: Volume 8 | Viewing Report Results

SASSI Online is our web-based platform that supports the digital administration of the Adult SASSI-4, Adolescent SASSI-A3, and Spanish SASSI.

In this edition of SASSI Online Tips and Tricks we highlight the steps to view a client’s completed SASSI questionnaire results.  When a client completes the questionnaire, responses are sent to the scoring server for immediate results. You will receive an email notification that the questionnaire is complete, with instructions on how to view the report from the Account Dashboard. For security reasons, report results are not sent via email. 

To view the report and questionnaire responses you must be logged in to your dashboard, and locate the client on your My Clients tab. To view the report or questionnaire responses for your client, click on their Client ID. In the window, select what you would like to view from the following options: View Report or View Questionnaire.

The SASSI report includes a graph of the client’s scale scores, the outcome of the decision rules based on the client’s responses, and a narrative report on the client’s profile. The completed questionnaire contains all questions asked, the client’s responses, and the scale scores.

Sample SASSI Online Reports are available here:

If you are not currently using SASSI Online and would like to experience the features of the digital platform, create an account at www.sassionline.com.  If you already have an account, let us know if you have any suggestions for our next edition of SASSI Online Tips and Tricks.  As a bonus for reading this blog post to the end, reach out to us at blog@sassi.com, with the code phrase: Report Results, to request two free SASSI Online administrations!

Last Clinical Q&A Until Summer | Register Now!

We wanted to welcome you to join us for a free one-hour online SASSI Q&A session hosted by our Clinical Director, Kristin Kimmell, LCSW, LCAC. This will be our last free Q&A session until Summer.

The Q&A is scheduled from Noon-1pm ET on: April 16th. You can save your spot by clicking here. We welcome you to share profiles to discuss with the group by sending them (de-identified) via email any time prior to the session to scarlett@sassi.com. These profiles will help others learn about the SASSI and offer insight into the various profile configurations.

Note: Q&A sessions do not provide CEUs and are not a substitute for SASSI Training.

In-Person SASSI Trainings

Happy Spring! Our certified SASSI trainers have been busy doing live in-person training this year and would like to hear from you about the need in your local area for this service. Please visit the training page on our website to view a list of currently scheduled workshops at www.sassi.com/sassi-training. If nothing is scheduled in your area, please reach out directly to the trainer so they know there is interest in their area, and they can plan accordingly. They are also happy to schedule private in-person training for your agency/organization.

Reminder: Our clinical team is available M-F to answer questions about the administration, scoring, and interpretation of our instruments at 800.726.0526 option 2. This is a free service, and we encourage you to call often.

SASSI Online Tips and Tricks: Volume 7 | Distribution Groups

SASSI Online is our web-based platform that supports the digital administration of the Adult SASSI-4, Adolescent SASSI-A3, and Spanish SASSI. It provides a report with interpretive paragraphs outlining the decision rules and results from client responses.

In this edition of SASSI Online Tips and Tricks we highlight the Distribution Group feature available on the Purchasing & Distribution Tab of the Purchaser’s Account Dashboard. Distribution Groups can only be created and managed by the user that holds the Purchaser role on the account for the organization. Visit the My Account tab to find out who the Purchaser is for your organization’s account.

Distribution Groups are for organizations that have more than one counselor registered to administer questionnaires. They allow for the Purchaser to distribute a purchased quantity of questionnaires among registered counselors or groups within an organization. A distribution group can be named for an actual group (e.g., intake evaluations) or individual counselors (e.g., Carlisle) within an organization.

To create a new Distribution Group, Click the “Purchasing & Distribution” tab and then click the “Manage Distribution Groups” button. Then click on the “Create New Distribution Group” button and enter the name for your new distribution group, then click submit. Once a Distribution Group is created you will need to add questionnaires and counselors to the group. Click the respective buttons on the newly created group to complete this task. Continued management is required as counselors are added to the account and new questionnaires are purchased.

If your organization does not have a need to limit access to purchased questionnaires because all registered counselors will be sharing available questionnaires, then there is no need to create a Distribution Group. All SASSI Online accounts have a Default Distribution Group that all registered counselors and purchased questionnaires are automatically added to.

If you are not currently using SASSI Online and would like to experience the features of the digital platform, create an account at www.sassionline.com. If you already have an account, let us know if you have any suggestions for our next edition of SASSI Online Tips and Tricks. As a bonus for reading this blog post to the end, reach out to us at blog@sassi.com, with the code phrase: Distribution Group, to request two free SASSI Online administrations!

Upcoming Clinical Q&A and Live Online SASSI Training | Register Now!

We wanted to remind you about our free one-hour online SASSI Q&A sessions hosted by our Clinical Director, Kristin Kimmell, LCSW, LCAC.

We love hearing about how you are using the SASSI and answering your questions about our screening tools. We currently have three more FREE Q&As scheduled from Noon-1pm ET on: February 13th, March 12th, & April 16th. You can save your spot by clicking here. We welcome you to share profiles to discuss with the group, please send them (de-identified) via email any time prior to the session to scarlett@sassi.com. These profiles help others learn about the SASSI and offer insight into the various profile configurations. If you are a SASSI Online (www.sassionline.com) user, we have a LIVE certified SASSI training webinar for Session 1: Administration & Scoring of the web-based version of the SASSI scheduled for February 6th and Session 2: Clinical Interpretation on February 20th. Each session is 9am-1:30pm ET and costs only $60 USD per session. You can register by clicking here.

Note that the Q&A sessions do not provide CEUs and are not a substitute for SASSI Training. SASSI training provides 3.5 NAADAC CEUs per session or you can choose 3.5 TCBAP (for Texas professionals) or CACCF (for Canada professionals) CEUs.

Adult SASSI-4 Review: Does the SASSI evaluate for Video Gaming?

This is an interesting profile on a 23-year-old male as it brought up the question, we get on the helpline regarding video gaming. “Does the SASSI evaluate for video gaming addiction?”, especially if the administrator believes the client was possibly including video gaming as well as substance use in his answers. The simple answer is no, it does not, so please clarify with your client not to include video gaming.  A drug that is often associated with video gaming is Adderall so the follow-up question to a client who admits to excessive video gaming is to question what drugs are they using to maintain that level of energy and concentration.

This individual was instructed to complete the FVA/FVOD side of the questionnaire for the last 12 months.

RAP was 0.

High Probability of a Substance Use Disorder.

Prescription Drug Scale result was 3 so meets the cutoff for High Probability of Prescription Drug Abuse.

He met Rule 1 with a FVOD score of 21.

             Rule 2 with a SYM score of 7.

             Rule 4 with a SYM score of 5 (7) or more and a SAT score of 4 (7) or more.

Looking at the graph on the Profile sheet, you will see a significant elevation on the FVOD scale score – above the 98th% so he is openly acknowledging use of drugs. By analyzing his responses, you will gain insight into what circumstances he is using, including dealing with emotional or stressful issues. And remember, he is answering the FVOD questions based on the last 12 months.

The SYM elevation is above the 85th percentile – enough to meet Rule 2. Because SYM is a face valid scale, you can do content analysis on those questions to look at the symptoms and consequences of his substance use.

The OAT score is within the norm. It would probably be the case that he does not identify with other substance abusers. This may be related to his very low-DEF score.

The SAT score is within the norm but high. The administrator may pick up some denial or lack of insight on the part of the client. And again, it may be related to the DEF score.

The DEF score is very significant because it is so low, below the 15th percentile. This individual may be in emotional distress and may be suffering from depressive symptoms. He should be evaluated for depression as he may be using substances to self-medicate. He may also believe that if he wasn’t depressed, he would not be abusing substances thus the OAT and SAT scores may reflect this perception.

The Rx score is also very significant and warrants further investigation as to what prescription drugs he may be abusing and if, in fact, are related to video gaming.

The rest of the scores are within the norm, so not clinically significant.

In summary, these clinical results are hypotheses to explore with the client to determine the depth and scope of the client’s use in order to recommend a treatment plan which fits his particular needs.

We hope this is helpful to you.

The clinical helpline line is open for your inquiries, M-F, 12- 5 (EST) at 888-297-2774 and you will be directed to a clinical consultant. If we are not available, please leave a message and we will return your call.

And as always, Thank you for your interest in the SASSI.

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Explaining Results to a Client with a High Probability Result When Scale Scores are Within the Norm

Perplexed callers periodically raise the question of how to interpret the results to their clients when all the scores fall within the norm and are only one standard deviation above or below the T-score of 50. Clinical interpretation is minimal although you can glean some useful information than just reporting a high probability.

The following profile result is of a 48-year-old female. She completed the FVA/FVOD side of the questionnaire for the last 12 months. Her RAP score was 0. Her Prescription Drug Scale score was 4 which indicates a High Probability of Prescription Drug Abuse.

As you can see, her FVA of 2 indicates below average use of alcohol, her FVOD score of 8 indicates above average use of drugs though within the norm. Her SYM score of 4 is also within the norm and although above average, she is not endorsing a lot of negative symptoms or consequences of her usage. Content analysis is useful with the Face Valid scales because they will give the context or conditions of how the client is using substances. The OAT score of 4 is within the norm so one hypothesis to explore, given the High Probability of a Substance Use disorder result, is if this client identifies with other addicted folks and those issues we often see in that population i.e. self-pity, resentment, low frustration tolerance, impatience etc. I would suspect not.

The SAT score of 3 is well below average although within the norm, this client may be concerned with what you think about her.  The DEF scale score of 7 is above average but also within the norm so you may be picking up a bit of a defensive posture with this client.

The last 3 scales, SAM, FAM and COR have no clinical impact.

Moving onto the Rules, two rules are met: Rule 9 and Rule 10.

Rule 9

  • FVA 6 or more or FVOD is 4 or more
  • SAT is 3 or more
  • DEF is 7 or more
  • All three, a,b, c ?  YES

Rule 10

  • FVA is 14 or more or FVOD is 8 or more
  • SAT is 1 or more
  • DEF is 4 or more
  • SAM is 4 or more
  • All four, a,b,c, d ? YES

The Rules are research based. Single scores within one standard deviation above or below the normative scores for each scale are not likely to indicate strong evidence of a diagnosable substance use disorder or a clinical problem. However, validation research indicated that some combinations of scores within this normative range such as in Rules 9 and 10 were evidenced by people who were diagnosed with a substance use disorder, and yet this same pattern of scores was not evidenced by those without substance use disorders. The scoring rules identify patterns of scores that accurately and reliably identify individuals with substance use disorders- even when the individual scores in the rule are not indicative of SUD on their own. Also, Table 10 in Chapter 7 in the SASSI-4 User Guide & Manual shows that both Rules 9 and 10 have a 96% accuracy rate indicating that the rules rarely identify people who do NOT have an SUD as positive on these rules.

You can see for Rules 1-4, the cutoff scores are outside the standard deviation which allows for both meeting the rule criteria and allows for easier clinical interpretation as well.

It is also important to note that the cutoff scores for each scale in any rule are specific to the rule. Being close doesn’t count.

Giving feedback to this client, the administrator needs to be aware of the bit of defensiveness and sensitivity of the client and perhaps the reluctance to identify as an addict. Using the information, she did endorse in the FVA, FVOD and SYM scales along with the Prescription Drug Scale results. It may help her to connect the dots and thus become open to whatever treatment considerations are discussed.

As always, if you have any questions about your SASSI results, please contact us through the free Clinical Helpline. We are available M-F, 12 – 5 EST at 888-297-2774 or 800-726-0526.

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