Possum, koala

Video Transcript for ASS 3

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BOLD FONT THERAPIST ? name

Normal font client / Peter or Randy?

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I'm doing well. How are you doing?

So, how's your week been? I know that we met last week at the initial intake, and how do you feel like that went?

It went ok, It went a whole lot better than what I expected. I'm gonna be super, super awkward coming in here and telling you my problems and having you listen to them all. But I appreciated how well you listened in the comfort from the place the surroundings really nice, does make me I just felt welcomed into this establishment.

Good so I’m glad you felt that way. So tell me about this past week. How have you been? How has work been?

All right. Works been pretty slow. Dragging on last two days because I guess I did not feel like going. My boss is mad at me he sent an email that said - I need to come back here before I came to work next time I was on shift and I am kind of worried about losing my job.

That’s understandable. So why haven't you been to work?

I have just not been motivated to go I guess

Any underlying issues, maybe your Substance use has affected you not to go.

Maybe as I have been using everyday 25 to $50 worth, which isn’t a lot but at the same time I just like to use it. But after I do use it I have no intentions on going to work, and I guess that’s the part of where my problem stems from.

Do you feel that if you lost your job that would put a big financial strain on you?

Yeah, I would say if I lost my job then I am screwed if I lost my job I wouldn't be able to support my habits or my hobbies.

So. So how are you with your financial issue right now as you said it’s been about 25 to $50 a day. I know that has to be making an impact in the bank. Are you doing anything to get money?

Ah yeah. I’ve been getting rid of some old stuff I don’t really need like I got rid of my stereo system for my car and not that I didn’t want it I just don't feel like I need it and I'm trying to cut down with some of the stuff in my house. So I pawned it got a couple 100 bucks out of it and put some of it away in a little place I keep it in my house and get cocaine with the other amount of it. Also I pawned a couple of my guitars and some of my grandma’s jewellery, so I’ve been getting by I guess.

So. Do you feel like any of those areas that you mentioned like work, finances and your substance abuse that you would like to address in particular? I could change in …

I mean, I guess I'd like to make a change in all of them. I mean, I'd like to start going to work every day. I’d like to get promoted someday soon; I mean I would like to fix, I assume everyone wants to have more money. And me as well, I'd like to fix my financial situation. The cocaine use, it's hard to say, but I probably need to stop doing it.

So you you have the motivation. You feel like you're getting to that point where you want to start making that change to maybe cut down on your cocaine use, even stop, right?

Yes. Yes. Hopefully, eventually I can quit.

Okay. What do you feel like maybe your strengths would be to maybe stopping that that may be improving maybe in all the areas that you talked about.

Strengthen myself, you're saying. I guess strengthen myself I have a good drive when I find something that I want that I like actually want to do clear-cut. Um. I tend to stay very motivated when I have a set goal something that I can put my attention towards. And um with the drive and the attention to detail I feel like I can get it done if I’d stick to it long enough.

So you’ve named a lot of strengths (?Peter) but also like really good things in helping you trying to stay motivated, then push towards those goals. What do you feel mainly is your weakness in making that change.

Um, I would say weaknesses are I really like doing drugs, so there’s always a weakness to quit something you like very, very much. I would say I guess peer pressure in a way, all my friends are drug addicts. If I'm not, they might make fun of me, you know? Um I feel like family could be a weakness and I guess it could be a strength too. I forgot to say it kind of motivates me, but not in a way where it's like complete strength, I guess. I just want to do better despite them so it helps me move forward but I’m just doing it in spite of them anyway.

What do you feel like your main motivation personally would be to change? I know that you’re saying that your family is a strength, but your kind of seeking treatment despite them

Um, I guess my main personal motivation would be, the goals that I want to achieve with my life and improving my financial situation. Those would probably be my two biggest goals that I would want to do.

Ok. What do you see? What do you what would be something good that would be a result of making that change. That you feel like what would be good?

Something good that would be a result? I guess if I went to work more and stop being lazy, and you know maybe I would get promoted and I’d be the boss. Instead of the boss being upset at me, I would be upset with somebody else maybe. Maybe I would just move up in the world in my job scope. Maybe, definitely if I didn't use cocaine um I’d have a lot more extra cash (she talks over top … that would definitely help), today that would definitely help my financial situation and they say money can't make you happy, but if you have money, they usually happier. So.

That's true. So you’ve named a lot of good things that can be involved in making that change, what would you feel would be a con of making a change?

I guess the con would be how hard it is. I like to avoid stress when I can and it’s stress that I'm putting on myself. I think it would make it harder. That would be the con, the difficulty of the task that I'm trying to achieve.

Yeah, I know that we talked about last week that you went about two weeks without using cocaine and that’s the longest stretch you’ve been. And do you feel like facing discomfort and withdrawal is something that you don't want to face is something of a con?

Oh yeah, definitely be a con. When I went through that two-week span high school whoo! I was irritable. I was lazy you know every time I would take a shower and the water was luke warm I would then get extremely mad because it wasn't as hot as I wanted. You know what I'm saying? I would just get extremely irritable.

I know that we’ve talked about the good things about making a change and the bad things that you feel could be a result of making a change? The importance here is that, and we worked towards your goals here, okay, and I know that you have a lot of goals that you want to achieve and a lot of important things that you want to happen in your life and the importance is that we've worked towards abstinence when you’re ready and we pushed towards talking about your goals every time that you come here and modifying your plan to fit that. And I have some stuff here for you today about financial classes that we are going to offer, and some information about cocaine use that you might not be aware of. Then you might want to take a look. If there's any questions about this on your free time you can talk to me about the next time you are here. And I hope you’ll take opportunities and look at that and have you read up on some stuff and it can be really beneficial. I'm really, really have enjoyed the financial classes personally and I mean I think they’re a great asset to have especially when I mean you don't know where your money is going and or how to budget your money.

Okay,

All right, so we're going to talk more about what you can do to make that change in your life. So what is something daily that you feel like you can make a change. And you can either do financially or your substance use or even your job.

Um, I guess if I made changes in in all aspects of my life. The job I could obviously go every day um I like to be lazy and not go to work sometimes and …

What could you do there, on a daily basis to motivate yourself so you go to work?

Um, I guess I could just get in a routine of going. Once you start going it kind of comes like a downhill slope and you just become like a drone I guess and you’re just wake-up without alarm clocks and all that good stuff so I guess I just got to start doing that to get that ball rolling. As far as financial wise I can put back more money, it’s as hard as it would be maybe I could check into savings account instead of the stash under my bed or whatever it's at under my bed (don’t look there um - Humor) . Anyways maybe check into like a checking some kinda I’m not really savvy and all that stuff …

Well, the financial classes that might be something you look into; I can help you with

Yeah, I can check those out. I'm sure like the way this is going now I would definitely be willing to check those out

okay so we talked about work and financials, so what can you change your substance use on a daily basis?

Um I guess I could start cutting back, you know, trying to do less.

How much do you feel like you’re doing a day, you did once twice

um,

You said you were doing it everyday a week.

So. On a normal day, I would say two – three times a day.

Okay

It depends on what I’m doing that day. And. How I'm feeling and what’s going on, you know.

Is there anything that common triggers you to maybe use more? Maybe stress at work or Oh yeah,

I know that you talked about selling your your grandmother jewellery. I'm sure that's a that's something you really wish you wouldn't have done. But what could that have been a stressor?

Yeah I guess it could have been a stressor I got kind of upset about it, but I didn’t mean it to happen so I could have the money who knows I mean, it's definitely a stressor, but. Job wise, I guess my boss stresses me out sometimes. Usually when I have a bad day with him, I do a little more cocaine than I normally do, so he's definitely stressors or as well

Ok so we talked about daily changes and what do you feel like maybe long term future changes you could you could see yourself doing?

Long term future changes I guess quitting drugs overall would be a long term future change. If I get to do that, that would be really cool. I'd be really happy with that. I know it’s going to be really hard and at the time I won’t really want to do it, but I think that will make me happy in the end. Um also I guess if I got promoted that would be really cool, I’d like to be the boss someday you know

So these changes that you're talking about that could ultimately determine your future and overall how do you picture your future how do you imagine your future?

Are we talking about perfect world here

However you imagine.

I guess I'd be satisfied with my bosses job, he’s a … I worked at IBM as a network as a network specialist I work with computers and stuff like that, but he's a manager of I guess art (? Our) division of IBM, and it would be pretty cool to have his job he’s not too high up on the home totem pole, but he’s not to low up on it either. I guess doing that would be a satisfactory place where I would see myself in the future. That would give me more money I’d be financially stable I quit doing drugs. I'd have all kinds of money and I have the job, that would be a happy world.

Yeah. So, I talked about a lot today. Just want to go back over some important things and your main motivation that you feel like it’s going to make the best change in your life and to ultimately affect your treatment here – for better treatment.

So your saying pick one?

No. Say whatever you think is your main motivation that we can work towards in our sessions.

Oh I guess my parents would not be the number one motivation, but probably a big motivation um ….

Would you like to get closer to your parents?

um. Yes. Yes and no, I mean they’re your parents, I always rebelled against my parents, but it would be nice to know that they were proud of me, noticing the changes that I was, that I'm going through in my life, hopefully I'll continue to go through and I guess also for them to really show that they care, you know they’re not just seeing it, but they care. They care about it and are happy for me.

Well, we can offer family counselling and introduce them into what we do here and if that would be something you would want to look into.

Ok I guess it would be cool, maybe cool if they could sit in like one of these.

We could share information, kind of inform them more about your substance use because a lot of time families are cut on the outskirts and I don't know what necessarily you're going through or what you have felt personally. And that will be a time for them to listen and kind of hear from me and hear from you about what you're going through and how you feel and what we can do as a group to motivate each other and how you can motivate yourself plans, the changes you need from them. Then the changes they want to see you.

Okay I guess it would be cool, might be awkward as I kind of haven’t seen my parents in a while, but if we can set that up I might be willing to give it a try, you know.

We've talked about a lot of things today. Is there anything that you would like to talk about? Anything else that's going on?

I definitely like to look in to look into this financial counselling that you've given me. I guess other than the financial counselling, I guess that's about it. I can't really think of anything else.

I hope I can see you again next week and that you will continue to think about what we talked about today and the motivation that you have right now will push you through the next coming weeks and months and push you towards achieving your goals that you told me today.

Alright. Sounds good. See you next week

Ok see you next week Randy

Thank you

You’re welcome.