Treating Addiction - Assignment Example

Before the assessment can be started it is extremely important to establish a good rapport with the client in order to foster honesty, cooperation, and trust in relationships. Only in such conditions I will be able to understand what the patient is going through and will be able to help. First, I will congratulate the client for taking such an important first step on his/her way to whole life without drugs. Then I will disclose some information about myself concentrating on where addiction took me. I will let the client know that it takes courage to admit a problem and seek change through treatment. I will also let the client know that I am not going to judge him/her and that all services are confidential.

According to Miller, Forcehimes & Zweben (2011), evaluation is needed for comprehension of the nature and the causes of the person`s particular situation and for considering possible routes to change. The information regarding the following aspects has to be collected prior to treatment:  (1) nature and severity of substance use and problems, (2) motivation for change, (3) client strengths and resources, and (4) functional analysis.

Such simple open questions as “What substances have you been using?”, “How?”, and” How often?” will help to learn about the severity and nature of substance abuse.  The most probable sign of the severity of the addiction is the degree to which substance use has caused adversarial consequences in the person`s life and family (Miller, Forcehimes & Zweben 2011). The next step is assessing the motivation for change since it is one of the most reliable forecasters of further success.  It can be done by utilizing questionnaires that are open-ended and can be applied to any specific behavior change(Miller et al, 2011). The following step in the evaluation process is the client`s strengths and resources assessment. One`s strengths and resources can be explored through a simple conversation or by the inclusion of a significant other in a clinical session (Miller et al, 2011). Activating clients` own strengths and social supports is vital not only for rehabilitation but for upkeep as well.  Discovering strengths can also boost the client`s self-efficacy, which is a forecaster of successful change and building a working therapeutic alliance (Miller et al, 2011). Lastly, functional analysis which is the concluding step which gives an understanding of the role of drugs in the client`s life (Miller et al, 2011). It emphasizes both the experiences (triggers or stimuli that increase the likelihood of use) and consequences of substance use (which may reinforce it). Structured interviews, client self-monitoring, and self-report questionnaires are the most common ways of gaining information of this kind. (Miller et al, 2011).