Therapists typically do not earn their drug-abusing patients' trust through sudden, dramatic gestures. Rather, trust is gained through the therapist's consistent professionalism, honesty, and well-meaning actions over a long period of time.

Although drug-abusing patients often may arrive late for sessions, fail to show up at all, and otherwise demonstrate the lack of a serious involvement in the process of treatment, therapists (by contrast) need to demonstrate a steady commitment to helping these patients. Therefore, it is very important for therapists to arrive on time for their appointments, even in cases when the patients habitually come late. In like manner, it is important for therapists to be available for therapy sessions on as regular a basis as possible (and to make sensible alternative arrangements if necessary), to return their patients' phone calls promptly, and to be reachable in cases of emergency.

Another more powerful way that therapists can establish that they are well grounded and dependable centering points in their patients' lives is to unfailingly pursue patients who do not show up for their sessions.

If the therapist establishes a pattern whereby he or she will almost always telephone a patient within hours of their missing a session, the therapist communicates a concern that goes beyond words. Along these same lines, it is advisable for therapists to be willing to continue to treat a drug-abusing patient when he or she returns after a drug lapse or other problematic hiatus from therapy.

This strategy provides the most realistic means by which to treat a disorder whose course is often recurrent. Further, it provides a sense of hope for patients who otherwise might believe that they have burned their bridges with all benevolent and helpful others. Therefore, they maybe more apt to return to treatment voluntarily and more quickly following future lapses.