Introduction I created this training guide for CASAC and CASAC T counselors who want to feel more confident, clear, and grounded about discharge and continuing care. I know how easy it is for discharge to be treated like a final piece of paperwork, just a form to fill out once the “real” work seems finished. In my experience, it is actually one of the most powerful clinical moments in the entire treatment episode. How you end with someone can strengthen recovery, protect safety, and build trust, or it can leave a person feeling abandoned, judged, or confused. I wrote this guide to help you to see discharge as part of the healing process, not just the closing of a chart. If you are like me, you have probably felt uncertain while writing a discharge summary, worried about whether it is safe to discharge someone, or anxious about how your documentation will look during an audit. You are not alone. Many skilled counselors say they received limited training on how to write strong discharge plans that truly reflect person centered and recovery oriented care. At the same time, OASAS regulations, program policies, and payer requirements ask a lot of us. We are expected to integrate clinical judgment, risk management, harm reduction, and clear documentation while still maintaining compassion and connection. That is a lot to carry without a roadmap. I designed this guide to be that roadmap. It brings together New York State OASAS expectations with everyday counseling practice so I can see how the rules translate into humane, collaborative care. Across five chapters, I walk through the purpose of discharge planning, the required elements of an OASAS compliant discharge summary, and the person centered and trauma informed values that I want to shape endings. I explore how to manage risk, overdose concerns, and continuity of medication and follow up care, and I also focus on your professional growth, including writing skills, ethics, boundaries, and self care. The goal is to integrate discharge planning into the flow of your daily work. This means thinking about discharge from the first session, using supervision to talk through complex cases, and leaning on tools such as templates, checklists, and smart phrases to support consistent, high quality documentation. Along the way, I included examples, exercises, and reflection questions that you can use on your own, in supervision, or in group training settings. I also wrote this guide to honor the emotional side of endings. Discharge is not only hard for clients. It can be hard for me as a counselor too. I may feel attached to the people I serve, worried about their safety, or pressured by systems that do not always feel aligned with person centered values. The chapters on ethics, boundaries, and self care are meant to help you name these tensions and respond to them thoughtfully. They encourage you to use your voice as an advocate while still respecting regulations, agency policies, and your own limits. Whether you're a CASAC T just starting out or a seasoned CASAC looking to deepen your skills, I intend this training guide to be a companion rather than a test. You can move through it chapter by chapter or jump to the sections that match my current learning goals. You can revisit the exercises over time to see how my thinking and confidence change. Most of all, you can use it as a reminder that good discharge planning is an expression of respect. It allows you to say to each person you serve, “Your recovery does not end here. You matter beyond this program, and I am planning with you, not for you.”