All Blog Posts (10)

I truly agree with you that the ones who are indulged in taking drugs ruin themselves as well as their families. ================================= Drug Rehabilitation Programs Continue

⋅ Any activity, substance, object, or behavior that has become the major focus of a person's life to the exclusion of other activities, or that has begun to harm the individual or others physically, mentally, or socially is considered an addictive behavior.


⋅ There is similar impact on the family between physical addiction to various chemicals in drugs and alcohol, and psychological dependence to behaviors including: gambling, sex, work, and eating disorders.
o These behavio… Continue

Outpatient Care


⋄ Techniques vary by clinician but typically include :
o cognitive-behavioral therapy
o problem-solving groups
⋄ Low success rate with heavily addicted individuals.
⋄ Moderate addicts may find that this level of treatment is enough to end their drug abuse problems.



12 Step Programs


⋄ Clients attend meetings.
⋄ Preferable after or in conjunction with some other form of drug treatment
⋄ There is the belief… Continue

⋄ Chronic substance abusers tend to be isolated from their families after a long period of damaging relationships.
⋄ Substance abuse affects more than the immediate family.
⋄ Extended family members often report feeling abandoned, embarrassed by, ashamed of, and withdrawn from the substance abusing family member, often choosing to break relational ties.
⋄ Different family structures in which abuse affects the family relationship:
o Client who lives alone or with a partner.
… Continue

Step #1: Listen
- Establish therapeutic relationship.
- Identify precipitating problems.
- Explore emotions.


Step #2: Assessment
- Determine the severity of the crisis.
- Assess potential lethality or physical harm to the person or others.
- Identify past coping skills, strengths and supportive resources.
- Suicide/Homicide assessment
- Determine client’s perception of reality.
- Discuss cultural beliefs about handling trauma.
- Find ou… Continue

Risk factors for Victimization

o Being female
o Young age
o Being a minority
o Drug and alcohol use
o High-risk sexual behavior
o Exposure to victimization as a child
o Low education level
o Unemployment
o Low SES
o Little or no support system
o Low self esteem
o Adolescence or developmental transition period
o Having a verbally abusive, jealous, or possessive partner
o Couples with income, educational, or job status disparities… Continue

Questioning:
o Client asked direct questions in areas determined by interviewer
o Questioning may be open or closed.
Open= unlimited answer options
Closed= Yes, No, or one word questions

Reflection:
o Restate the clients cognitive or emotional material
o Demonstrate empathic understanding
o Rogerian Client-Centered Therapists rely heavily on reflection
o Overuse is counterproductive - important areas are left unaddressed


Restatemen… Continue

Professional disclosure statement tells clients about:
o the education and qualifications of the therapist
o the nature of the therapeutic process
o Informed Consent
o Document that the client reads about the specifics of therapy treatment
o Client consents to treatment by signing the form
o Procedures and goals of therapy
o Potential harms or risks to client
o Reasonable benefits of therapy
o Qualifications and policies of therapist
o Theoretical orientat… Continue

Recognizing sings of abuse

In the child:
o Sudden changes in behavior or school performance
o Not medical attention for problems brought to parents attention.
o Learning problems, difficulty concentrating, that cannot be attributed to specific disabilities.
o Tends to be watchful, expecting something to happen.
o Lacks adult supervision.
o Overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn.
o Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, does not want to… Continue

• DSM Diagnosis under Other Conditions That May be Focus of Clinical Attention, V62.82, Bereavement- used for death of a loved one.
• Depression in this case is considered “normal” but individual my be seeking treatment to relieve symptoms such as insomnia or anorexia.
• Expression of “normal” bereavement time is relative to different cultures.
• Major Depressive disorder is not diagnosed unless symptoms last longer than two months after loss.

Stages of Grief:
• Denial… Continue