Social science - sociology assignment 10

WKS4ASSIGNMENT.docx

5

Needs Assessment for a Relapse Prevention Program

WKS 4 ASSIGNMENT

March 22, 2026

Program Description

The change proposal that I present in the case of Still Waters Professional Counseling is Life Skills and Relapse Prevention Program of adults under substance use counseling. This is aimed at fixing the poor client engagement rates that I noted during field placement particularly among those who were required to attend counseling by the Department of Family and Children Services. Despite the numerous attendances of clients at their sessions, there are those who present low attendance, motivation and lack of coping skills outside counseling. The program would also involve role plays, guided discussions, weekly goal tracking, practice in triggers management and practice in routine building that would make the treatment more practical and action oriented. According to Dudley (2020), social work assessment is expected to reveal client issues and gaps in service. It is within that framework that this program would bring in additional structured and practical additions to assist clients by making counseling material translate into behavior change, which they need to practice on a daily basis.

Inclusion Criteria in the Program.

The target clientele would consist of adult clients who are already receiving substance use counseling in the agency. The first priority would be given to the clients that are court ordered or referred to Department of Family and Children Services, the clients with a specific behavior those results in relapse on a regular basis, and those clients that cannot always use the methods of coping without the sessions. The inclusion of these clients is due to the fact that they seem to require more than just traditional counseling. Their low attendance patterns imply that there is a discrepancy between the treatment attendance and the benefit of treatment. This at-risk population would be additional in terms of accountability, rehearsal, and support with the help of a structured skills-based program.

Justification for the Proposed Program

Semi structured interviews with clients that already receive substance use services is the first technique that I would utilize to collect credible information. Interviews would enable clients to explain the greatest problems they encounter when attempting to apply coping skills in their daily lives. Such an approach would offer in-depth information regarding the barriers in the form of low motivation, unstable routines, trigger exposure, and weak support systems. The needs assessment that incorporates the voices of the people affected by the service issue directly are more powerful (Ravaghi et al., 2023). This is why the interviews with clients would be a good source of first-hand evidence.

The second technique that I would employ is a short anonymous questionnaire that will be shared among clients and counselors. The client survey would help define the patterns regarding the obstacles to engagement, whereas the counselor survey would involve practice-based observations regarding service participation, risk of relapse, and unmet needs. The importance of using both groups is that the assignment requires the information of the clients and other stakeholders, and counselors are the major stakeholders in the planning and implementation of the program. The surveys would assist in understanding the prevalence of the problem within the agency and would supplement more profound information obtained with the help of interviews.

The two approaches are the best alternatives since interviews are in-depth and surveys are broad. They would then come up with credible evidence to support program development and implementation. It has been found that motivation, tangible assistance, and continuous involvement are core to substance use behavior change, which explains why a structured relapse prevention program and counseling should be implemented (Schwenker et al., 2023; Gaolaolwe et al., 2025). Such a strategy would reinforce the quality of the provided services and increase the likelihood of successful recovery in the clients in the long term.

References

Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Gaolaolwe, W., Moagi, M. M., Kovane, G. P., & Sehularo, L. A. (2025). Exploration of effective substance use relapse prevention programmes for the youth: An integrative literature review. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 32(3), 661–679. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13144

Ravaghi, H., Guisset, A.-L., Elfeky, S., Nasir, N., Khani, S., Ahmadnezhad, E., & Abdi, Z. (2023). A scoping review of community health needs and assets assessment: Concepts, rationale, tools and uses. BMC Health Services Research, 23, Article 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08983-3

Schwenker, R., Dietrich, C. E., Hirpa, S., Nothacker, M., Smedslund, G., Frese, T., & Unverzagt, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing for substance use reduction. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023(12), CD008063. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008063.pub3

WKS9ASSIGNMENT.docx

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Life Skills and Relapse Prevention Program Process Evaluation Plan.

WKS9 ASSIGNMENT

April 25, 2026

The Life Skills and Relapse Prevention Program at Still Waters Professional Counseling is the proposed program. This program provides adults who are counseling for substance abuse, particularly those who are court mandated, mandated by the Department of Family and Children Services, or who have recurrent relapse, poor attendance, low motivation and poor coping skills outside of the counselor's office. The program addresses the disconnect between motivation to go to counseling and using recovery skills. The program involves structured discussions, role plays and trigger-management practice, weekly goal setting and developing new routines. These activities enhance the practicality, structure and focus of counseling. The target population requires support, accountability, and practice with coping skills, prior to exposure to risky situations. Relapse prevention is not only about knowledge but also practice, motivation and support, so the program aims to enhance clients’ skills to cope with triggers and recovery rituals (Gaolaolwe et al., 2025; Schwenker et al., 2023).

The process evaluation is critical for this program because it is new, and the agency needs to know if it is being delivered as planned. Process evaluation assesses implementation including whether the program activities proposed are conducted, whether the intended client group is engaged, whether staff adhere to the program model and whether clients engage with services (Saunders et al., 2005). This is different from outcome evaluation, which would look at subsequent outcomes (relapse reduction, coping). With this program, process needs to be evaluated first because the program was proposed due to poor attendance and engagement. Even if the model is correct, if clients are not attending sessions, facilitators are not delivering key activities or the activities are not suited to clients, the program will not be successful. Evaluation also enables ethical social work practice by informing social work practice to improve services based on evidence not guesswork (Dudley, 2020).

This evaluation will be an early- to mid-stage formative, process evaluation. The initial review will be after week 4 and the second after week 8 of the 12-week program cycle. This is because formative evaluation enables the staff to make adjustments to the program while it's in progress. Moore et al. (2015) describe how process evaluation helps to understand the implementation, mechanisms of impact and contextual factors of complex interventions. Evaluating early in the program, at weeks 4 and 8, will help the agency understand if problems exist with transportation, reasonable expectations, scheduling, or activities that are challenging for clients. The agency would be less able to address problems if the evaluation was conducted at the end.

The process evaluation will be carried out by an internal evaluator, ideally the program coordinator or someone else not involved in the weekly group sessions. Using an internal evaluator makes sense because the focus is on improving the program, not external evaluation. Agency evaluators know the processes, referrals, staffing constraints and client needs. But to minimize bias, the evaluator will use standardized instruments, anonymous client surveys and a variety of sources. Facilitators will offer information about implementation, but it will not be solely based on their views.

The main question for the process evaluation is: How well is the Life Skills and Relapse Prevention Program being delivered and meeting the engagement needs of adult substance use counseling clients?

The sub questions are: Are clients being referred and enrolled in the program? Are the intended activities (role plays, facilitated discussions, practice activities for managing triggers, setting and monitoring goals, and establishing daily routines) being delivered? Are clients engaged and participating in the activities? Are there any barriers to client attendance or delivery of the program? What are the clients' and counselors' views on the effectiveness and practicality of the activities?

We will collect data via attendance logs, facilitator fidelity checklists, anonymous client surveys and staff feedback forms. Referrals, recruitment, weekly attendance, missed sessions and completion will be documented in attendance logs. Fidelity checklists will be completed at the end of each session to record whether core activities were delivered, materials were used, and if any changes were made. Week 4 and 8 client surveys will assess client satisfaction, usefulness, reasons for non-attendance, comfort with the activities, and how they use skills to prevent relapses outside the counseling sessions. Staff feedback forms will ask staff about problems with the program, client engagement, and suggestions.

The analysis plan will be quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative data will be presented in counts, percentages and averages. For instance, the evaluator will report the percentage of clients referred who agree to participate, the average number of sessions attended, the percentage who attend at least 75% of the sessions, and the percentage of activities completed. The average of survey rating items will be used to determine satisfaction and usefulness. The evaluator will examine comments from the open-ended survey items and staff forms for recurring themes, such as transportation and other time demands, lack of motivation, useful role plays, and challenges completing weekly goals. This combination of numbers, client and staff feedback will offer insight into the process. This is in line with the needs assessment literature that focuses on the importance of stakeholder feedback to improve services (Ravaghi et al., 2023).

Evaluation will be ongoing each cycle. The program coordinator will review the data for attendance and fidelity every week. Surveys will be administered at weeks 4 and 8 and a comprehensive process evaluation summary will be undertaken at the end of the 12-week cycle. The summary will highlight what's working, what's not, suggested changes and steps to be taken for the future. For instance, if attendance is poor, the agency may include reminder phone calls, change session times or provide transportation. If facilitators are not following the manual, they may need more training or materials that are easier to use. This evaluation plan will allow Still Waters Professional Counseling to continuously improve the program, improve client retention, and plan for an outcome evaluation.

References

Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Gaolaolwe, W., Moagi, M. M., Kovane, G. P., & Sehularo, L. A. (2025). Exploration of effective substance use relapse prevention programmes for the youth: An integrative literature review. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 32(3), 661–679. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13144

Moore, G. F., Audrey, S., Barker, M., Bond, L., Bonell, C., Hardeman, W., Moore, L., O’Cathain, A., Tinati, T., Wight, D., & Baird, J. (2015). Process evaluation of complex interventions: Medical Research Council guidance. BMJ, 350, Article h1258. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h1258

Ravaghi, H., Guisset, A.-L., Elfeky, S., Nasir, N., Khani, S., Ahmadnezhad, E., & Abdi, Z. (2023). A scoping review of community health needs and assets assessment: Concepts, rationale, tools and uses. BMC Health Services Research, 23, Article 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08983-3

Saunders, R. P., Evans, M. H., & Joshi, P. (2005). Developing a process-evaluation plan for assessing health promotion program implementation: A how-to guide. Health Promotion Practice, 6(2), 134–147. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839904273387

Schwenker, R., Dietrich, C. E., Hirpa, S., Nothacker, M., Smedslund, G., Frese, T., & Unverzagt, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing for substance use reduction. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023(12), Article CD008063. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008063.pub3