SOCW 6202 Week 8 Discussion 2: Perceived Crisis Influencing Addiction

Week 8: Crisis Intervention and Effects of Traumatic Events on Addiction

Helping professionals providing support to victims of trauma often encounter people who attempt to deal with their losses through self-medicating. One client may turn to alcohol to get to sleep at night. Another client may find relief for her constant anxiety through prescription medications. After losing his wife and two young children to a disaster, another client may blame himself for their deaths and seek to forget everything through abusing heroin.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Analyze the role of helping professionals in community recovery

· Analyze the impact of government regulations on the role of helping professionals in community recovery

· Analyze the influence of perceived crises on addiction

· Evaluate crisis intervention models

Learning Resources

Note:  To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the  Course Materials  section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Kewley, S. (2019). Changing identities through Staging Recovery: The role of community theatre in the process of recovery. The Arts in Psychotherapy,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2019.02.002

National Council for Behavioral Health (6AD). (February 2016). Behavioral Health Pros to Congress: Fund Addiction Recovery Bill, Expand Community Mental Health Network. Business Wire.

PR Newswire. (2018, April 24). Recovery Centers of America invites communities to unite against addiction. PR Newswire US.

San Luis, G., Hortensia, A., Avendaño, A., & Manuel, A. (2018). Barriers to addiction prevention and treatment in communities with organized crime: the perspective of health providers. Salud Mental, 41(2), 73-80.

Discussion 2: Perceived Crisis Influencing Addiction

Personal crises and increased vulnerability to addictive chemicals and behaviors can stem from any event or situation that a person perceives as intolerable, the key word being perceives.

In your role as a helping professional, remember that events that seem benign to you may constitute a crisis in a client's life. If a client perceives himself or herself to be in a crisis, whether you agree or not, the client is probably in a crisis and needs your professional assistance. There are a number of crisis intervention models available, and you should choose the model that seems to be most effective.

By Day 5

Post a description of at least two factors outside an individual's control that could result in a perceived crisis and explain how that perception may affect propensity toward addiction. Then describe a model of crisis intervention that might be most effective in addressing these factors and explain why. Support your response using the Resources and the current literature.

By Day 7

Respond to a colleague who described a different influence or perceived crisis than the one that you described. Describe a crisis intervention model different from the one that your colleague chose and explain why the method that you selected might be more successful. Use the Resources and the current literature to support your ideas.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Reflect on what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

To complete your Discussion, click on Discussions on the course navigation menu, and select "Week 8 Forum" to begin.