Forms and handouts
After completing this module, you will be able to do the following:
- Know the use of client issues list.
- Comprehend treatment planning.
- Understand the use of Homework sheets.
- Consider different approaches to prevention.
Overview
This module will provide an overview of some sample forms and handouts that are helpful to a therapist, as he/she applies the concepts learned in this course with clients and settings.
- Solution Focused Substance Abuse Treatment: Chapter 9
- Substance Abuse Treatment, Chapter 11.
- Discuss where you would like to see the future head for the diagnosis and treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders.
- Why do you believe some prevention programs are ineffective?
- List and describe the forms provided in the reading. Be sure to describe the use of each form in regards to:
- A particular setting
- A particular diagnosis
- The proposed treatment plan.
- Explain treatment planning.
- Explain the use of homework sheets.
- Develop a substance abuse prevention plan outline for adolescents in your area. Explain the elements included and how they address specific issues.
1-2 questions 100 each=200 words
3-6 questions 200 words each = 800 words
Total for Order 3 = 1000 words
with 2 references from American Psychological Association
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Also to be referenced
9780826195784 Substance Abuse Treatment: Options, Challenges, and Effectiveness
by Sylvia Mignon MSW PhD
9780789037237Solution Focused Substance Abuse Treatment
by Teri Pichot , Thorana S Nelson, et al.
Sample Solution
Question One
Sack (2015) suggests that there are some predictions for the future of addiction treatment.
Sack (2015) indicates that substance-abuse treatment and diagnoses have dramatically changed
over the decades. Sack (2015) believes that the future in the diagnoses and treatment of
substance abuse disorders will be improved by more research and science. Sack suggests that
therapists should broaden the definition of success and focus on continued abstinence and
celebrating every reduction in drug use. As such, therapists should have an inclusive mindset.
With Sack’s (2015) article, I believe that the future of diagnoses and treatment of substance
abuse will focus on different ways to treat every addiction. Vaccines will supplement some of the
current treatments, and more emphasis should be placed on treating co-occurring disorders.
Furthermore, Mignon (2014, Chapter 12) argues that the workforce in substance abuse has now
changed, and there will be increased demand for certifications and licensure with the help of
INCASE, N.A.S.A.C., and I.S. & R.C. With professionalized workforce, there will be a
smoother way for the greater utilization of medications to treat addiction. Additionally, recovery
coaching is likely to grow in the next few years.
Question Two
According to Lilienfeld and Arkowitz (2013), it is hard to “Just say no.” First Lady
Reagan Nancy responded to a schoolgirl asking what she should say if someone offered her
drugs. It was at this point that the prevention movement in the 1980s started. Prevention
programs for substance abuse have now been implemented in schools and each state to prevent
teenagers and other populations from becoming victims of substance abuse. On the other hand, Mignon (2014, Chapter 11), several prevention programs provided by peers tend to be
considered effective, but some, such as the D.A.R.E program, have mixed results. Some
preventive programs are ineffective if they have no effect or detrimental effect on the youth and
if the program does not utilize principles and strategies that have not yet been proven to affect
youth. Some preventions programs tend to save on money and resources, and as such, they
become ineffective. On the other hand, punitive and zero-tolerance preventive programs have
harmful effects on youths and reinforce undesirable behaviour.
Question Three
According to Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9), paperwork and completing forms are
necessary for all counsellors. The key documentation that a therapist should complete is a client
issues list, a treatment plan, and homework sheets. A client issues list identifies client problems
or issues and provides the counsellor with the necessary information to formulate diagnoses and
determine the most appropriate course of action. In an agency setting, a client issues list is a tool
to limit liability and offers easy chart review by clinical supervisors. A treatment plan is specific
tasks that the client is to do while achieving better outcomes. In solution-focused therapy, a
treatment plan should have a thinking component and a doing component. Each treatment plan is
customized to the language of the client’s desired goal in a group or individual therapy since
client language is incorporated into these plans whenever possible. The Homework Sheets are
records that capture specific tasks clients identify with being different once the problem is
resolved. They can do these small, tangible activities between sessions to get them closer to their
goals. Homework sheets are excellent feedback that measures the accuracy of the treatment
plans.
Question Four
According to Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9), one can assume that writing a
treatment plan can be a daunting task and how can solution-focused brief therapist formulate
specific tasks that the client is to do while still holding to the basic tenets of S.F.B.T. of allowing
the client to be the expert of the solution? Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9) argue that the
format of a treatment plan in S.F.B.T. should have the thinking component and the doing
component. The thinking part entails the cognitive portion of treatment and a miracle question
that helps shift the client’s focus to the solution rather than being preoccupied with the problem.
The doing component is the action component where the client has become aware of the
behaviours they will be doing once the problem has been resolved. The client will readily engage
in these activities. Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9) further indicate that client language
should be considered when formulating treatment plans in S.F.B.T. Each client treatment plan is
customized to a language that aligns with the client’s desired goals. The authors further indicate
that written assignments in S.F.B.T. can be used for clients who find that medium helpful in a
group or individual therapy while noticing and verbally telling group members or the counsellor
can be used for others.
Question Five
According to Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9), Homework sheets are formulated by
the therapist and filled by clients when clients can identify what will be different once their
problem has been resolved. Clients will be readily available to start with small activities that they
can perform between sessions to get them closer to their objectives and goals of S.F.B.T. The counsellors in S.F.B.T. find it important to capture and record these specified tasks. They can
serve as crucial evidence for reviewers that clients are active participants in creating and working
towards change. Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9) argue that the homework sheet motivates
the client to follow through once they have committed to writing and attaining a specific task.
The homework sheet further allows a client to record in their own words their desired goals and
the steps they identify as the sessions go on. Pichot and Smock (2009, Chapter 9) assert that
homework sheets act as feedback for the therapist to substantiate the accuracy of the treatment
plans. If the client’s written goal differs from the initial treatment plan, the counsellor should
update the treatment plans. Furthermore, the homework sheet gives the client the freedom to
change their mind and create new treatment goals at any point in therapy. After treatment is
done, homework sheets are attached with the treatment plans to guide and demonstrate a plan for
treatment in case a client is referred.
Question Six
My preventive program will focus on high school-age youth (13-15 years) who attend
alternative high schools. The main goal is to prevent the transition from drug use to drug abuse
while bearing in mind the developmental issues faced by older adolescents. Over three weeks,
the program will entail 30-40 minutes of lessons that entail motivational activities, decision-
making components, and social skills delivered through videos, discussions, games, and student
worksheets. My program will focus on high-risk students and will offer cognitive motivation
activities not to use drugs. Other elements addressed in my program will entail stress
management, active listening, tobacco cessation techniques, self-control, and effective
communication. The program is based on the model of cognitive perceptions and behavioural
skills. Cognitive perception entails addressing the problems of drug myths and misinformation among adolescents today. On the other hand, behavioural skills will entail improving their social
skills and allowing the adolescents to have significant social flexibility to bond with other peer
groups and communicate with authority while avoiding stressful and conflictful interactions.
References
Lilienfeld, S. O., & Arkowitz, H. (2013). Just Say No? Scientific American Mind, 25(1), 70–71.
https://doi.org/10.1038/SCIENTIFICAMERICANMIND0114-70
Mignon, S. I. (2014). Substance Abuse Treatment: Options, Challenges, and Effectiveness. Springer
Publishing Company.
Pichot, T., & Smock, S. A. (2009). Solution-Focused Substance Abuse Treatment. Routledge: Taylor
and Francis.
Sack, D. (2015, March 19). Four Predictions for the Future of Addiction Treatment. Psychology
Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201503/4-
predictions-the-future-addiction-treatment
