SOLVED CASE STUDY with answers SPS 201

You are the caseworker for a single mother (Mary) who has a 15yr old son (Toby). Mary is struggling with alcohol addiction and states she often smokes marijuana when her son is at school. Mary has said that she hasn’t worked since her son was born and had previously managed by doing odd jobs for friends and neighbors. However, Mary has said that now her son is older she would like to get a full-time job but is worried that she will not be successful due to her addiction. When ‘probing’ further into Mary’s addiction, you come to understand that she regularly has her first glass of wine with breakfast and states that without it she can’t ‘think’ straight. Mary said she found a half-smoked marijuana joint in her son’s room when she was cleaning, and she is worried that he may be experimenting with drugs. Mary states that she would like to be able to stop drinking and smoking marijuana but every time she has tried before it hasn’t worked.

5) apply critical thinking and judgment in identifying an appropriate Alcohol and other drug program and rehabilitation suitable for Mary’s needs. For example, would Mary benefit from a full-time rehabilitation program or a part-time rehabilitation program, and why?

Part 3 – Critical Reflection

Part 1

Legal issues

Types of drugs

Mandated reporting requirements

The legal requirement of a counselor or the caregiver is to report drug use and any other problems that are associated with the client that is undergoing falls under mandate reporting. In the case of Mary, mandate reporting is vital considering that she needs immediate help and also Toby (Mary’s son). As Toby is exposed to drugs at a developing stage which might influence him negatively, it can push him to drop out of school, or in the worst scenario, he might engage in some illegal or criminal activities for consuming drugs (Jernbro et al., 2022). Mary is jobless and an alcohol addict; therefore, it is crucial to provide her with rehabilitation assistance (Geiderman & Marco, 2020). Apart from that, the lack of a father’s role also calls for a mandate report for the counselor in the case of Mary.

Possible assessment and referral options

The most pressing issue for Mary is her alcohol addiction. She should be referred to an alcohol counselor or treatment program. Additionally, she should be given information about support groups for parents struggling with addiction. As it has been analyzed that Mary tried to stop drinking alcohol and also stop smoking marijuana but she was unable to do so. In this case, she requires special rehabilitation programs, so she must be connected to such programs, which help in providing the detox treatments to Mary and also conduct therapy programs for her. Further, it has been analyzed that Mary’s son, Toby seen consuming drugs. So, in this case, it is required that Mary should talk to her son about her addiction, for this it is important to encourage Mary for talking to her son. Along with this, it is also required that Mary should encourage her son to involve him in the rehabilitation programs. If Toby is experimenting with drugs, Mary should be referred to a drug counselor or treatment program.

Part 2

AOD and rehabilitation program

Part 3

Critical Reflection

Furthermore, I would like to state that I am confident in my professional responsibility as well as accountability. I have a professional responsibility to Mary to help her overcome her addiction. I am also accountable to my supervisor for my actions in this case. I need to make sure that I am making the best decisions for Mary and that I am supporting her in the best way possible. Along with this, as a case worker, it is my responsibility to provide Mary with information on treatment options and resources which will help her to access the resources and the support she needs. Considering, Mary’s son’s issue as well I will work with her to develop a plan to address her son’s well-being and ensure that he is safe and not exposed to illegal drugs in the future. As a case worker, it is my responsibility to provide Mary with support and resources to help her overcome her addiction. I am also responsible for ensuring that Mary can adequately care for her son and provide him with a safe and stable home environment. I am accountable to my supervisor for Mary and Toby’s well-being and will provide regular updates on their progress (Bartlett et al., 2013).

References

Antunes de Campos, E., & Narchi, N. (2022). The ‘wounded soul’: What alcoholism means to participants of a women‐only Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in São Paulo, Brazil. Drug And Alcohol Review, 41(4), 732-742. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13430

Jernbro, C., Tindberg, Y., & Janson, S. (2022). High risk of severe child abuse and poly‐victimisation in families with parental substance misuse – results from a Swedish school‐based survey. Child Abuse Review, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2741

Kelly, J., Abry, A., Ferri, M., & Humphreys, K. (2020). Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Facilitation Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Distillation of a 2020 Cochrane Review for Clinicians and Policy Makers. Alcohol And Alcoholism, 55(6), 641-651. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agaa050