Instructions
Peer and Family Interventions
Read the case study below, written by a Youth Development worker. Refe
ing to the textbook reading in chapters 13 and 14, what interventions would you recommend for "Jimmy"? What would be most likely to help Jimmy stay out of trouble: peer interventions, family interventions, or a combination of both? What specific types of interventions would you use? Explain your reasoning. Then respond to at least two posts by classmates.
Case Study
A seventeen-year-old male, “Jimmy,” lived in a middle-class subu
. Jimmy was refe
ed to me by a pastor, because he felt my training in prison ministry might be helpful in reaching this kid, and because Jimmy’s mother requested help. An appointment was set to meet the teen at his house, with his mother present in an adjacent room.
During the conversation, several facts emerged. Jimmy had been in trouble with the legal system, mostly for drug possession and motor vehicle infractions. He said he had been kicked out of high school because of his drug use. He had been using alcohol and marijuana since he was about 13. He had more recently been taking ecstasy.
When asked why he used drugs, he claimed it reduced his boredom and provided a way to escape and have fun. Additionally, it was discerned that his father worked long hours (in the mental health field), and was basically absent from the family. Later, I learned that his father denied his son’s habits. The family, which includes a younger 16-year-old
other, had gone to see a therapist but Jimmy was an unwilling participant.
Jimmy noted that he does have a problem with authority figures-like the police-because he believes they are “co
upt.” Jimmy did admit that police have a job to do, in terms of protecting people from harmful practices. Jimmy also realized that there are consequences of drug use and that he was headed for a state prison sentence if he did not improve his actions. He learned that his mother could be a
ested under law if he had drugs in her house; this bothered Jimmy.
(excerpted from Culture and Youth Studies, http:
cultureandyouth.org/troubled-youth/case-studies-troubled-youth/case-study-of-a-youth-substance-abuse
)