Substance Abuse Case - Assignment Example

Rehabilitation Treatment Strategy Introduction Stephen, a 37 year old Caucasian male, presents a case of substance abuse. Substanceabuse remains a principal cause of emotional and physical distress for many people. Treatment for substance abuse requires that many factors become considered, and the plan be individually focused. The treatment plan should focus on the type of substance getting abused, the social and economical environment of the patient, mental health issues, family history, and the general attitudes of the patient (Wiger, 2012). Also, put under consideration are the physical and emotional needs, and the behavioral routines of the patient. For Stephen’s case, the patient abuses marijuana. He believes that smoking marijuana is to partly blame for the malaise that has shrouded him after his divorce. Stephen currently smokes about four times a week in the afternoons when he gets back from school. The patient is divorced and his two children are in the custody of their mother. He is in great physical condition as he works out at the gym regularly. The patient only interacts with friends at the gym after which he is a loner. He has minimal contact with his family and only occasionally communicates to his sister and his nephew. He prefers to keep his family relation at a distance. Stephen is passionless about life. Treatment Plan A proper treatment plan should comprise of the necessary tools and strategies that will aim at identifying a client’s strengths and his or her weaknesses (Wiger, 2012). The plan should provide an approach for detailing the resources and activities that will set benchmarks for progress and evaluation. For Stephen’s case, outpatient treatment would be advised. Outpatient treatment at Better Future Treatment Center is composed of one nightly Group psychotherapy session. The session is two hours in duration. The groups meet four nights per week, from seven to nine p.m. the median length for his treatment would be 8 weeks. Below is an outline of the treatment program for Stephen; Client name: Stephen Age: 37 Gender: Male Marital status: Divorced Number of children: 2 Pertinent medical conditions: None Any suicidal or other violent thoughts: None Residence: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Substance use disorder: Marijuana Client problem plan: Outpatient Group therapy Duration of treatment: minimum of eight weeks Problem statement The patient identifies his continued use marijuana as a limiting factor to his unfulfilled life. He reports of getting dissatisfied with this situation and wants a change. Goals of the treatment plan The plan seeks to assist the patient to get an understanding of him through participation in group therapy. The plan will assist the patient to gain a further understanding of his problems. The patient will get to understand his process of thought and behavior better. The treatment plan aims to provide support and encouragement to the patient as he seeks to effect change in his life. By interacting with other patients in the group therapy, the patient should get to develop friendships and lifelong support with people undergoing similar problems to his. The treatment plan aims to help the patient to unlearn ineffective behavior and learn new ways that are going to be helpful for his transformation (Wiger, 2012). Group therapy assists the patient to learn with and from other people. Group therapy creates an environment for the patient to learn on his problems. The therapy will aim to bring hope to the patient. The group therapy provides the patient with a sense of a new beginning as he gets to share and solve his problems. The patient will get to develop a new sense of belief about his life. The therapy will seek to reinvigorate the patient and assist him to have hope for his future. The treatment plan will also seek to ensure the patient experiences emotional and spiritual growth. The plan will focus on overcoming the fears of the patient and build on his strengths to allow for emotional growth. Objectives of the treatment plan The treatment plan seeks to obtain information from the patient that will assist in solving his problem. The therapy aims to encourage the patient to focus on developing his talents and special abilities to assist his recovery. The treatment plan aims to assist the patient to design and plan for change for his life. Intervention For treatment to become successful for the patient, it is necessary to provide the client with an appropriate treatment plan that matches his needs. For this case, the treatment will aim to end substance use and treat the client’s psychological problems. Since this is Stephen’s first visit to a health center for treatment, outpatient treatment modality would be most appropriate. The patient is not severely addicted to marijuana nor does he present other pertinent medical conditions. Outpatient therapy will accommodate Stephen’s work and gym schedule as he will get to attend the sessions during night times. To end Stephen’s habit of smoking in the afternoons when he gets back from work, he should get encouraged to shift his gym hours to this time. The client appears to clearly love working out, and should get encouraged to work out instead of engaging in substance abuse. The patient should get encouraged to attend the group therapy sessions diligently to enable him to overcome the psychological problems arising from his divorce. Stephen should get encouraged to share these problems during the group sessions (Wiger, 2012). Sharing of his problems with fellow patients and therapists will help the patient to decipher his problems better. The patient should also get to interact with other group members to assist him develop friendships. Stephen lacks friends and family around, and group therapy can help him achieve lifelong support from people with similar problems to his. Reasons for outpatient therapy Outpatient treatment would be suitable for Stephen since he has to go to work during the day. It is also suitable as his addiction is not severe. The patient does not smoke marijuana before or during his school hours. He only smokes in the afternoons when he gets from work. The patient will be advised to change his gym hours to the afternoons he gets back from work to avert his marijuana smoking during these hours. He will then attend the therapy sessions after the gym. Stephen is also suitable for the outpatient treatment as his mental health is relatively stable. He has confirmed that he is unable to commit suicide as he does not think of it anymore. Outpatient therapy allows for flexibility in the treatment program helping patients to proceed with long term care and recovery goals. It will also allow for Stephen to enjoy a variety of treatment procedures and measure the skills he learns in the process. He will get to apply directly the treatment and evaluate his progress. Outpatient therapy will also ensure that Stephen gets to maintain his privacy. Since he does not have to take leave from work, he can continue with his daily routines. With outpatient treatment, Stephen will not have to worry about a prolonged absence from his work, gym or his friends (Wiger, 2012). It will allow him to focus solely on himself without fear of anyone detecting that he seeks treatment. Group therapy Stephen should be advised to enroll for a group therapy session. The group psychotherapy session at Better Future Treatment Center lasts for two hours. The session takes place every four nights a week from 7-9 p.m. Group psychotherapy involves a small number of patients meeting together under the observance of a professional therapist/s (Wiger, 2012). Group therapy allows the patients or members to assist each other. Group therapy will allow Stephen to meet up with other patients to better understand his situation. Group therapy assists people to get to know themselves and better their interpersonal relationships. It assists in alleviating feelings of depression, isolation and anxiety. These are conditions that are prevalent with Stephen’s case. Stephen barely interacts with his family members or friends. He lives in Florida all by himself after divorcing his wife. Stephen also appears depressed as he says he wants excitement in his life. He also says he is passionless about life and once contemplated suicide although he rules that as an option anymore. Stephen is also depressed about his failure to achieve his dream profession, that of a doctor. Stephen experiences some anxiety when he speaks of his divorce. All these feelings can get addressed through Stephen’s enrollment in group psychotherapy (Wiger, 2012). Participation in group therapy can help Stephen to make friends in the area he lives. He can also get to build lifelong support with people experiencing similar problems to his in the group (Wiger, 2012). Development of interpersonal relationships will help the patient to understand his behaviors and those of others. It will help Stephen to learn that he is perhaps not as different as he might think. Through group therapy he stands to benefit from working on shared problems with the rest of other members in the group. Reference Wiger, D. E. (2012). The Psychotherapy Documentation Primer. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Read More