Social Issues and Their Effects on Client’s Biopsychosocial Wellbeing

Social Issues and Their Effects on Client’s Biopsychosocial Wellbeing assignment instructions. The average length for each part should be approximately 300 words.

Assignment 5:

Part 1:

Choose one of the nine areas of biopsychosocial assessment outlined in the text. Develop assessment questions for that knowledge area. In doing so, consider the impact of each question on the client, the appropriate timing, and the effect on the development of empathy and a treatment alliance. For example, in family and friends, you might ask, “Who was important to you as you grew up?” “Who could you turn to in your life?” “Who were you close to?” “Who did you have a problem or conflict with?” “Have you lost someone important to you?” “What are some good memories you have of your childhood/ teen years?”

Part 2: 

To practice writing treatment goals, write three treatment objectives you might have for a client. Discuss the following questions in a 500 word essay: Would the client take ownership of the objective? When in the treatment process would it be appropriate to address the goal? How would you or the client know when the objective is accomplished? What would the client need to do to accomplish the objective, and what resources would he or she need?

Part 3:

Read the case of Lee C., and then complete the following steps 1 through 8.

Case: Lee C. is a 25- year- old married male who is participating in an outpatient chemical dependency program. Lee is an electrician who had worked steadily until he was recently suspended from his job after a period of absenteeism and tardiness due to his drinking. Lee has been in treatment in the past and has maintained several periods of sobriety ranging from three to six months, with Alcoholics Anonymous participation. He often states that he drinks after arguments with his wife.

They often fight about money and his running off to his mother’s after they fight. He often drinks with his best friend and co- worker, Kim. Lee’s wife does not permit him to live in the house when he is drinking, but his mother always allows him to stay with her. Lee recognizes he has “some kind of drinking problem” and wishes to stay sober because he is afraid of losing his wife and job. Following the steps, write a treatment plan for Lee C.

1. List Lee’s strengths and resources.
2. List his needs.
3. Write a goal for Lee.
4. Write a problem statement for Lee.
5. Write an objective for him.
6. Write a set of steps to accomplish the objective.
7. Determine who will be responsible for each step.
8. Set a date for each step.

Part 4:

Review and evaluate the following treatment objectives. Which objectives do you believe are satisfactory and complete? Rewrite objectives that are unsatisfactory or incomplete.

1. Mr. A will improve his self- esteem.
2. Mrs. B will work on her sobriety.
3. Mr. C will attend five AA meetings per week for the next six weeks.
4. Ms. D will start attending community college.
5. Mr. E will improve his social skills by the end of group therapy.
6. Mrs. F will participate by the third week of group by describing how her dependence on pills affected her.

Part 5:

Phil is a counselor in an intensive outpatient program where you work. He has been employed in the field for three years and has been in recovery for six years. You have been close to him for most of that time. A month ago, Phil’s son was killed in an automobile accident. In his grief, Phil went out and got drunk. He immersed himself without delay in his recovery fellowship as well as in short- term bereavement counseling, and he has confided only to you about the situation. State regulations mandate that counselors have at least two years uninterrupted “clean time.” Phil is very afraid that if the agency finds out about his relapse, he will lose his job. Discuss:

• How do you feel about this situation?
• What would you say to Phil?
• Can you consult someone about this to get advice on your position?
• What should or can you say to the agency administrators?
• When is withholding information a breach of honesty?
• If you fail to disclose Phil’s relapse, do you think you’d lose your job?
• How can you reconcile, on one hand, the trust and confidence of a friend and, on the other, loyalty to the agency and safety of clients?
• What do you think would be the best thing to do for your friend?
• What would be the right thing to do? Does this conflict with what you think would be best for Phil?

Part 6:

Your 28- year- old male client was married but engaged in anonymous sexual encounters with men. His family and in- laws were very anti- gay. He contracted a sexually transmitted disease, and discontinued treatment. Then you read in the newspaper that he committed suicide. His grief-stricken father called you, requesting any information you have that would help the family understand why his son killed himself. They speculate over what they did or did not do that was responsible for his death. Your memories and notes clearly show that his suicide was related to factors over which they had no control. What do you do? Because the client is no longer alive, can it hurt to share information with the family? Discuss:

• How should you respond to this family’s wishes?
• Do you have an ethical responsibility to your client’s family?
• Do you have to maintain this client’s confidentiality even though he’s dead? After all, you have information that would definitely lighten their grief.
• If the police investigate this unnatural death, what would you contribute to their fact finding?

Part 7:

Two hats are a term for an individual who has dual roles. Employees of addictions agencies often talk about two- hat problems to denote the staffer who is in a recovery fellowship with clients. Don is a recovering cocaine addict who works at Reality Lodge, a large long-term treatment program staffed largely by graduates of this therapeutic community. Don attends Narcotics Anonymous to maintain and strengthen his own recovery from addiction.

At one meeting, a young woman named Cheryl makes a comment after the main speaker, in which she shares the difficulty she is having in staying drug- free. Cheryl happens to be a court-mandated client at the outpatient department of Reality Lodge, and Don knows that she has not shared these minor relapses with the staff. As an NA member, Don would never carry that information outside of the meeting, but as a counselor he would notify his agency and then the court. Which hat decides what he does? Discuss:

• What if Don calls the client on this and urges her to come clean herself? What if Cheryl tells him to mind his own business and warns Don not to break the confidentiality of NA?
• Should Don tell the agency staff what he heard at the NA meeting regarding this client’s lack of sobriety? In weighing the anonymity of NA and the confidentiality of Don’s agency, which carries more weight? What information can he share legally?
• What federal or state (use your state) regulations are relevant to Don’s decision?
• Can you write a guideline for this type of situation to clearly state the agency’s obligations? Shouldn’t the agency tell counselors to leave a meeting where a client is present?
• What, if anything, should Don say to Cheryl?
• If Don remains silent, what are the implications for his interactions and relationships with his own supervisor and Cheryl’s counselor?

Part 8:

Marcia, who comes from a Hasidic Jewish family and rebelled to marry a secular Jewish man, enters treatment under family pressure. She goes to a few AA meetings at the urging of her counselor, but feels she is being forced to go along with something she considers like her “repressive” family environment. “Another dogmatic in- group who only talk to them-selves,” is the way she puts it. She strongly declares her desire to recover from her alcoholism but does not want to be forced to go along with “the God thing.” Discuss:

• How would you approach Marcia?
• Are these religious issues or family issues?
• Would you address her issues about religion in a treatment plan? If so, how?
• Would forcing Marcia to attend AA meetings or denying her treatment be religious discrimination?
• Do you know anything about Hasidism?
• Would you need to know about Hasidism? Her family?
• Would it be ethical or appropriate to refer Marcia to another pro-gram or agency?

Sample Solution

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Social Issues and Their Effects on Client’s Biopsychosocial Wellbeing

PART 1

Question 1: How is your familial relationship?

This question aims to determine the level of closeness between the client and their family members. By asking this, the counselor seeks to understand the potential availability of physical, mental, and emotional support for the client and how it influences their overall biopsychosocial wellbeing.

Question 2: What is the situation like at home?

This question intends to assess whether the client’s home circumstances impact their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Positive home situations can foster resilience towards challenges, while negative ones can leave the client feeling weakened and vulnerable to various circumstances. Additionally, the home circumstances can shed light on the client’s closeness to their family members, providing further insight into their biopsychosocial status when in contact with the counselor.

Question 3: Are there any instances of trauma that I should be aware of?

The presence of trauma in the client’s life is one of the reasons behind difficulties in their biopsychosocial wellbeing. Trauma refers to negative experiences that affect the client’s mental, emotional, and physical state. Therefore, if the counselor gathers information about past traumatic experiences, they can understand the issues the client is facing and develop treatment approaches that take trauma into account, addressing the root cause of the client’s problems.

Question 4: How are your experiences with work or school?

The pressures of work and school directly impact the client’s biopsychosocial wellbeing. The client may develop physical or mental issues due to stress, affecting their everyday functioning. Therefore, understanding how the client is coping in their work or school environment helps the counselor develop intervention plans that consider the different contexts that may affect the client’s overall wellbeing.

PART 2

The primary objective is to enhance the clients’ wellbeing by addressing the challenges they are facing, ultimately improving their overall biopsychosocial health (Myers & Salt, 2013). Various intervention programs are implemented to assist clients in addressing their issues and utilizing the counselor’s guidance to find suitable remedies. Thus, the main goal of these interventions is to support clients in transitioning from a state of biopsychosocial challenges to overcoming them.

Another objective is to help clients overcome self-destructive behaviors, which often contribute to their biopsychosocial issues (Myers & Salt, 2013). It is essential for counselors to address these harmful behaviors to facilitate clients’ return to overall health and wellbeing. Without addressing the behavioral aspects underlying the clients’ challenges, interventions would be ineffective, as clients might revert to their old behaviors and experience recurring difficulties.

Furthermore, restoring relationships and enhancing social skills are important objectives. Many biopsychosocial complications negatively impact clients’ relationships. Therefore, counselors have a responsibility to assist clients in rebuilding their relationships, finding peace, and improving their chances of overcoming biopsychosocial challenges (Myers & Salt, 2013). Strong relationships provide crucial moral and emotional support throughout the recovery journey. Additionally, helping clients develop social skills empowers them to maintain healthy relationships and establish new ones if previous relationships contributed to their negative biopsychosocial outcomes.

By incorporating these strategies, clients will feel involved and take ownership of the program. Client ownership accelerates the progress as they fully cooperate with the counselor, leading to optimal outcomes. Early signs of improvement in the initial issues serve as indicators of program success. Restoring biopsychosocial health demonstrates that the client is responding well to treatment and that the program effectively addresses the core problem. Successful achievement of goals requires client cooperation and a positive attitude towards the program’s potential to help overcome their challenges. Lastly, the support of family and friends is crucial as they contribute to the program’s success in attaining the established objectives.

References

Myers, P. L., & Salt, N. R. (2013). Becoming an addictions counselor: A comprehensive text.
Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Sheppard, G. W. (2004). Notebook on ethics, legal issues, and standards for counselors.
COGNICA, 36 (), 1-2.

Wu, C. Y. Code of Ethics in Counselling Profession.

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