Paul, as a foundation for illustrating how professionals in different specializa
ID: 3485753 • Letter: P
Question
Paul, as a foundation for illustrating how professionals in different specializations might work together to meet the needs of the client you choose:
Paul, a 32-year-old man, seeks counseling at a community mental health center. He has recently returned from his third deployment to a combat zone. He reports drinking frequently and feeling anxious. Paul's wife has tried to reassure him that everything is fine, but he is reluctant to leave the house and has missed more than a week of work.
For this part, apply what you have learned about counseling and how professionals can work together to explain how you might collaborate with a professional in Addictions Counseling to serve the client you chose.
In this part, complete the following:
1) Analyze how professionals from Mental Health Counseling and from Addixtions Counselor might collaborate to benefit Paul and his family.
a) Describe the role and function of the Mental. Health Counselor and the Addictions Counselor..
b) Identify the characteristics that make each role unique and make them effective counselors for this case.
***************Cite at least one resources from the professional literature that you use as the basis of your ideas
Explanation / Answer
1) Analyze how professionals from Mental Health Counseling and from Addixtions Counselor might collaborate to benefit Paul and his family.
It is very important that the anxiety that Paul is facing has to be brought under control. Occupational therapists would play their role in trying to work the situation out. One of the major issues of this kind of substance abuse is the major traumatic events that such veterans witness at the time they are in those extreme stressed conditions. This is happening as a result of post traumatic stress disorder that is being experienced by the veteran and in order to bring it in control, both professionals from the field of addiction control and occupational therapy would collaborate so as to set goals and bring about interventions along with family cen-tered care. Family cen-tered care is important since the wife is showing utmost support and concern in the betterment of her husband and he would required the warmth given by her, to overcome his situation. After goals would be set, there would be necessary interventions carried out. Moreover, Paul is affected since he has had greater number of deployments leading to an increased acute stress or psychological problems.
a) Describe the role and function of the Mental. Health Counselor and the Addictions Counselor..
Cognitive behavioural therapy could be employed at the first step such that they would understand that nothin is wrong and that they may not have to face the war situations again. This has to be integrated with the addictions counsellor as he would plan his actions along with the mental health therapist. Here, as soon as the therapist is able to relive some anxiety, and make Paul aware about his present, the alcohol counsellor requires to make him understand that the way he is drinking is incorrect. He needs to make him aware of his habits and the acceptance of the fact that the drinking has in fact become over the line, he might start exploring the options for recovery. Unless there is even a small hit of reality, the work of the alcohol counsellor cannot begin.
b) Identify the characteristics that make each role unique and make them effective counselors for this case.
The characteristics of a mental health counsellor is such that he would be able to identify the thought process of the client, Paul, and could intervene before his thoughts would go too wrong. He could talk and use his words in a manner that would only come through practice, because such patients are highly sensitive and if they are not given the correct combination of words or activities, the condition could become worse.
Similarly, a mental health therapist might be able to make a patient realise that he is over drinking, but he might not be able to formulate the steps for recovery accompanied by the varied activities that would maintain the sober stage.
Hence, both the roles are unique.