Study title

This dataset consists of counselling session discussions between community sanctions offices employees and clients regarding the client's substance use and the causes and consequences connected to it. The aim was to record two meetings for each of the 50 clients. The data were collected as part of a research project on the adherence of motivational interviewing in the initial substance abuse setting and its effect on clients' substance abuse harm reduction (the MISA project), funded by the Academy of Finland, Criminal Sanctions Agency and Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies. The discussions included in this dataset were conducted according to the Behaviour-Interviewing-Change (BIC) program. This qualitative dataset consists of transcriptions of the client meeting discussions. This dataset can be connected to the quantitative dataset FSD3369 Substance Abuse Treatment in Community Sanctions Offices: Pre- and Post-treatment Surveys 2007-2010, which consists of a pre-treatment survey, evaluations of the counselling session discussions by both the counsellor and the client, post-treatment surveys, and background information surveys for both the client and the employee. The respondents in the two datasets can be connected with a unique client number. The discussions examined the client's objectives regarding their substance use, their motivation to stop or reduce their use of substances, and their motivation to change their criminal lifestyle. The counsellors and clients also discussed the client's situation in life more widely, focusing on their family, employment and health. During the meetings, the clients completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which was then discussed between the counsellor and client. Conducted according to the BIC program, the first discussion charted the client's aspirations and hopes for their life, and the second discussion compared the advantages and disadvantages of using substances to stopping or reducing their...