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.

4) What are the possible assessment and/or referral options?

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?

ANSWER FOR Part 1

Legal issues

Types of drugs

In the case study, marijuana and alcohol drugs have been discussed. Marijuana is the most common drug after tobacco and alcohol, used by individuals. Marijuana is classified as a hallucinogen, stimulant, or depressant. Alcohol is also classified as a nervous system depressant drug (US) & (US), 2016).

Mandated reporting requirements

The mandated reporting requirements are the legal obligations or the legal requirements of certain professionals or organizations to do mandatory reporting of any suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the relevant authorities. The mandatory reporter can be any professional like teacher, dentist, and many more, who has identified the abuse cases (Mathews, 2014).

Possible assessment and referral options

Part 2

AOD and rehabilitation program

Part 3

Critical Reflection

I have analyzed that Mary has a severe addiction to alcohol and smoking marijuana, which tried to stop but was unable to do so. Along with this, it has been considered that her son was also found experimenting with the drugs. This is the reason, why I believe that Mary is a high-risk case, and her severe addiction has a negative as well as an adverse impact on her son. Considering this, I have referred Mary to a local alcohol and drug counseling service and she has started attending weekly sessions. Along with this, I also made her a member of the Alcoholics Anonymous group, where she can resolve severe addiction problems by collaborating with individuals, who are suffering from the same issue. I also referred her to rehabilitation programs, to facilitate her recovery from the severe alcohol and drug addiction, at a faster pace. As there she will receive detox treatments and various effective therapies.

Considering the severity of Mary’s condition, I have also put Mary in touch with a local job center where she is receiving help with job applications and interview techniques. I believe that by supporting Mary with her addiction and helping her to find employment, we can make a positive difference in her life and the life of her son in financial terms. Apart from these, there are many options with me that I can apply to the case of Mary, which include networking Mary with the alcohol and drug counselors and connecting her to family drug support in Australia, which will provide 24/7 assistance to her. I could have suggested that Mary see her GP for help with her addiction. I could also have suggested that she join a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Another option would be to refer Mary to a counselor or therapist who could help her deal with her addiction.

References

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

Mahboub, N., Honein-AbouHaidar, G., Rizk, R., & de Vries, N. (2021). People who use drugs in rehabilitation, from chaos to discipline: Advantages and pitfalls: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0245346. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245346