Write a 700-1,050-word summary statement about your client, Eliza.

1

Running Head: Treatment Plan

6

Treatment Plan

Treatment Plan

Jennifer Rizzo

Grand Canyon University

03/20/2021

Part 2

Despite Eliza going through treatment and having a period of sobriety, she has started drinking again, according to the incident report that indicated she was found passed out and alone in her dorm while smelling of alcohol. The changes in Eliza's behavior of drinking alcohol may have been caused by various factors such as boredom, changes in finances, being exposed to alcohol, having unwanted emotions related to certain situations, and being with friends with who she used to drink. In early recovery, boredom and isolation are considered to be the major reason for relapse. She might have got bored or felt isolated, which left her with her own thoughts and emotions that usually do not want to be heard or felt. Poor self-care may have also caused her alcohol relapse because proper self-care always makes one feel better about themselves, and it will be sending a message to them that they care about their wellbeing. Poor self-care sends messages to a person that they do not care about their wellbeing, which triggers a relapse.

An effective treatment plan is usually made up of key components which allow the therapist to create an accessible and easy-to-use document with all the information that the client and therapist will need. When assessing the effectiveness of a treatment plan, some factors must be considered, such as progress, interventions, objectives, goals, treatment contract, strengths, problem statements, and the client's history and background (Sripada, et al., 2020). Documentation of the client’s progress is among the important factors to be considered in a treatment plan. As treatment of the client progresses, it is necessary to look back on the past successes because they offer a great source of inspiration to stay on course. However, looking at Eliza's progress, she has gotten back into abusing alcohol which is negatively affecting her. Another element of an effective treatment plan is the history and background of the client. This section usually has important demographic information about the patient's past, present, and when she started experiencing the problem.

The treatment plan needs to be adjusted to deal with changes in the situation by using various strategies like client involvement, writing down outcomes at different intervals, offering support to the client, promoting active participation, and setting clear goals. For a treatment plan to be effective, it must start with clear goals by determining what the client would like to work on. Having clear goals ensures that the client is on the same page with the therapist, and it keeps both of them accountable for concentrating on what is necessary. The treatment plan should involve active participation to showcase how every party will work to achieve the goals. Active participation will help since it will open up a great discussion about the role of a counselor and how therapy looks with the client.

I would communicate to the client the need for referrals to other behavioral health care professionals when there are ethical concerns about working with an individual and believe that somebody else will be able to provide a more suitable service and when there is a change in an individual's social, emotional and physical situation. Other instances may include when the therapist is concerned about the client's emotional, social and physical state, when the agency does not provide all the services that the client requires, and when a client asks the therapist to refer them (Broglia, Millings, & Barkham, 2018). Making a referral involves certain steps like finding the problem, evaluating the data, identifying and assessing possible resolutions, identifying additional information that is required, and then finally making the referral. When making a referral for the client, one should keep their connection with their client till the referral process is complete, help prepare the client for their first appointment and allow the client to make the appointment instead of making it for them. The therapist should also be aware of confidentiality issues, explore with the client where she might have sought assistance, explore the readiness of the client to be referred, knowing the agency or person to whom they are making the referral, and ensure they understand what policies and procedures the agency has for making referrals.

The referral that I would make is referring the client to alcohol and drug treatment experts for a more in-depth and definitive assessment. I would collaborate with other behavioral health care professionals by practicing handling conflicts and striving towards perfection, assigning specific responsibilities and tasks, delegating the duties of every member of the team, respect job roles, and define my collaborative approach to health care. In order to collaborate with other behavioral health care professionals, I would learn to appreciate the roles and responsibilities of other specialists for us to work efficiently as a group since the success of any group greatly depends on providing quality treatment of patients. I will define the roles of the professionals’ history, what their actual job title is and also define them on how they will help other patients in dealing with the current issues. Every health care provider is required to establish a system of feedback to make sure that the tasks are accomplished, identify guidelines for reducing risks related to the delegation, determining the level of supervision required to help support delegation in health care and educate others on effective judgment for task analysis and resolutions to delegate (Morley, & Cashell, 2017). Collaborating with other behavioral health care professionals who have diverse viewpoints and areas of expertise will result in new perceptions and resolutions to problems that hardly get achieved by a single health professional. Collaboration with diverse groups is vital for the continued development in my specialization; hence it is necessary to educate and practice on how to deal with various issues.

Some of the ways that I would assess the client include screening and testing. Alcohol screening tests will help to determine if the client still abuses alcohol or has any alcohol use disorder. Alcohol screening comprises behavioral and psychological questionnaires, while alcohol testing entails testing of saliva, breath, and blood to detect the quantity of alcohol in the client's body system (Clark, et al., 2016). Physical testing for the availability of alcohol in the bloodstream will play a key role in finding whether the client who is undergoing treatment for alcoholism is complying with her plan for recovery.

Reference

Broglia, E., Millings, A., & Barkham, M. (2018). Challenges to addressing student mental health in embedded counseling services: a survey of UK higher and further education institutions. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 46(4), 441-455.

Clark, B. J., Rubinsky, A. D., Ho, P. M., Au, D. H., Chavez, L. J., Moss, M., & Bradley, K. A. (2016). Alcohol screening scores and the risk of intensive care unit admission and hospital readmission. Substance abuse, 37(3), 466-473.

Morley, L., & Cashell, A. (2017). Collaboration in health care. Journal of medical imaging and radiation sciences, 48(2), 207-216.

Sripada, R. K., Ready, D. J., Ganoczy, D., Astin, M. C., & Rauch, S. A. (2020). When to change the treatment plan: An analysis of diminishing returns in VA patients undergoing prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy. Behavior therapy, 51(1), 85-98.