The textbook for this unit is: Stevens, P., & Smith, R. L XXXXXXXXXXSubstance abuse counseling: Theory and practice (New International 5th ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education.
Assignment 3: Case study
Assignment Type Weighting Word Count Due Date
Case study 50% 2,000 words Week 12
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to develop skills in applying theories and models of
substance abuse to a selected case study, and develop an intervention plan which
demonstrates the application of a counselling model examined in this unit (e.g.
Motivational Interviewing) to the client presentation.
Process:
This assignment should be written in first person as the counsellor or services provider.
Academic writing and referencing conventions are to be followed. Your essay should
include an introduction and conclusion.
Watch one of the following films, which feature the impact of drug and/or alcohol abuse:
Candy
Trainspotting
Samson and Delilah
Little Fish
The Finished People – available for hire at your campus li
ary
Choose one of the characters from your chosen film who is using or abusing alcohol
and/or other drugs as the basis for your client and case study.
Write a concise description (no more than 300 words) of the character and their family and
the social context as the case study.
Provide an assessment and case formulation of the client, their psychosocial needs, and
their use or abuse of alcohol and/or other drugs. References from this unit and the AOD
field should be used to support your assessment and formulation (minimum eight
eferences).
Briefly describe the substance abuse counselling model you would draw on and its
usefulness for the client. Describe how you would work with the client and the likely
outcomes, using published research on client outcomes in the drug and alcohol field of
esearch.
Describe the challenges the client would face and identify the supports fo
ecovery in their social context.
Identify ethical issues likely to be faced in counselling the client, refe
ing to relevant
codes of ethics.
Unit Outline: COUN2041 - Alcohol and Other Drugs Counselling 17
Last updated: Trimester 1 2018
Marking Criteria – Case Study
Not Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Good
Very good
Outstanding
Content
1. Case study is written concisely, describes the client’s
social and family context and is true to the film
2. Assessment and case formulation are well-reasoned,
specify the psychosocial needs of the client and supported
y theory
3. Accurate description of substance abuse counselling
model, and rationale for use with the client are outlined
4. Credible outline of the counselling process, client
outcomes, challenges and supports is provided
5. Case study includes accurate identification of ethical
issues
Structure, Presentation and Referencing
1. Main ideas clearly and logically presented
2. Relevant research and scholarship literature used
appropriately to support claims
3. Co
ect academic writing style used, including co
ect
spelling, grammar and punctuation
4. Presentation guidelines followed as specified in the
learning support website (http:
sls.navitasprofessional.edu.au/college/acap)
and first/ third person
writing style is applied where relevant
5. In-text referencing and reference list follows APA
eferencing style (6th ed.) as set out in the APA website:
http:
www.apastyle.org
6. Word count is within + or - 10% of requirement No Yes
Total Mark: /100
Weighted Scale: /50
Grade:
The case study example below is based on this (shortened) assignment question: Watch a film which features the impact of drug and/or alcohol abuse. Choose one of the characters from your chosen film who is using or abusing alcohol and/or other drugs as the basis for your client and case study. Provide an assessment and case formulation of the client, their psychosocial needs, and their use or abuse of alcohol and/or other drugs. Briefly describe the substance abuse counselling model you would draw on and its usefulness for the client. Identify ethical issues likely to be faced in counselling the client, refe
ing to relevant codes of ethics. Note: Always use the cu
ent assignment question provided in your unit material, as the assignment question above has been altered for the purposes of this example. The example below shows three sections of a case study written by Lynsey Ward, a Graduate Diploma of Counselling student at ACAP. Many thanks to Lynsey for sharing this work with us and contributing to the development of other academic writers. Introduction Every substance abuse case is individual and as such requires a unique assessment and intervention plan to best help a client. Different drugs require varying degrees of medical assistance, detox and long term planning in order to provide a client with an environment conducive to recovery. Heroin is an illicit drug with hasty addiction and many side effects. Here, a case study of a woman, Candy, from the film Candy (Armfield & Fink, 2006) is examined in order to create an appropriate intervention plan based on alcohol and other drug [AOD] use theory, research and Candy’s assessment. Candy’s social and behavioural influences are her major reason for taking heroine and as such, treatment plans are formed accordingly to provide a comprehensive treatment and relapse prevention plan bas
The case study example below is based on this (shortened) assignment question:
Watch a film which features the impact of drug and/or alcohol abuse. Choose one of the characters
from your chosen film who is using or abusing alcohol and/or other drugs as the basis for your client
and case study. Provide an assessment and case formulation of the client, their psychosocial needs,
and their use or abuse of alcohol and/or other drugs. Briefly describe the substance abuse
counselling model you would draw on and its usefulness for the client. Identify ethical issues likely to
e faced in counselling the client, refe
ing to relevant codes of ethics.
Note: Always use the cu
ent assignment question provided in your unit material, as the assignment
question above has been altered for the purposes of this example.
The example below shows three sections of a case study written by Lynsey Ward, a Graduate
Diploma of Counselling student at ACAP. Many thanks to Lynsey for sharing this work with us and
contributing to the development of other academic writers.
Introduction
Every substance abuse case is individual and as such requires a unique assessment and
intervention plan to best help a client. Different drugs require varying degrees of medical assistance,
detox and long term planning in order to provide a client with an environment conducive to recovery.
Heroin is an illicit drug with hasty addiction and many side effects. Here, a case study of a woman,
Candy, from the film Candy (Armfield & Fink, 2006) is examined in order to create an appropriate
intervention plan based on alcohol and other drug [AOD] use theory, research and Candy’s assessment.
Candy’s social and behavioural influences are her major reason for taking heroine and as such, treatment
plans are formed accordingly to provide a comprehensive treatment and relapse prevention plan based on
empirically tested techniques.
Case study example
ACAP Student Learning Support. ACAP is a college of the Navitas Professional Institute Pty Ltd. National CRICOS Code: 01328A. RTO Code: XXXXXXXXXXPage 1/4
Comment [SLS1]: Here the writer
introduces the ‘case’ – the character Candy
from the film of the same name.
Case Formulation and Assessment
Candy’s treatment needs to be sensitive to her needs as a woman and client. Candy has built a
tolerance to heroin and subsequently has withdrawal symptoms if not using, and is unable to cut down on
her own. As such, she fulfils the substance dependence criteria (Stevens & Smith, XXXXXXXXXXHeroin is an
opiate whose repeated use causes tolerance and addiction “enhanced by intravenous administration”
(Stevens & Smith, 2013, p. 7). During this film, Candy appears to go through the prodomal, crucial and
chronic phases of her substance use (Stevens & Smith, 2013), paralleling the film’s heaven, earth and hell
sections. This journey from “controlled use to being controlled by the use is the nature of addiction”
(Stevens & Smith, 2013, p XXXXXXXXXXThis dependence despite consequences is a “result of linking learned
associations between drug effects and environmental cues” (Stevens & Smith, 2013, p. 70) and thus is a
ehaviourally influenced phenomenon. “The majority of … cohabiting female substance abusing patients
who enter treatment are involved with substance abusing partners”, as is Candy’s case (Winters et al.,
2002, p. 352).
Initially in therapy, the process of assessment and ethical considerations would be discussed, as
well as building rapport with Candy. Assessment would be used to determine my fit with Candy, the
elationship issues of the client, and Candy’s coping strategies and outside support resources. Later,
assessment will be used again to evaluate progress and follow up with Candy’s outcomes. In order to
determine if a behavioural approach to therapy is appropriate for Candy, a diagnostic interview would be
used to discover her habits, family issues, readiness for change and the influences on her use with
assistance from the DSM 5 (APA, XXXXXXXXXXI would also use an addiction survey index [ASI] to ensure I
was receiving a comprehensive picture of Candy’s use, including any dual diagnosis required (Stevens &
smith, XXXXXXXXXXCandy’s relationship situations seem to be a large influence on her use. To ensure that these
same relationships don’t create a potential relapse, her parents and partner should be involved in therapy.
Additionally, any mental health issues concerning Candy will need to be addressed because in many
substance using women, depression is a factor (Stevens & Smith, XXXXXXXXXXCandy does appear to have a co-
ACAP Student Learning Support. ACAP is a college of the Navitas Professional Institute Pty Ltd. National CRICOS Code: 01328A. RTO Code: XXXXXXXXXXPage 2/4
Comment [SLS2]: This is an example of
where the writer links information about
the ‘case’ (Candy) to theory; substance
abuse criteria. Note that there is a
eference for the theory.
Comment [SLS3]: Another example of
linking the case to theory, with referencing.
Comment [SLS4]: Here the writer is
using first person ‘I’ when explaining what
they would do as the counsellor in this
situation. Always read your assignment
question and marking criteria to check if
this style of first person writing is required.
occurance of depression and drug use, however this would need to be assessed to ensure it was not all
drug use symptoms.
Once Candy’s addiction becomes full blown in the film, she is in a state of precontemplation
(Stevens & Smith, 2013), meaning she has no real intention of undertaking any behaviour changes until
later into the film. During her methadone maintenance program, Candy is in the action stage (Stevens &
Smith,