Better Way of Miami is a great example of how agencies in the helping field should advocates for clients who are caught up in the legal system as a result of felony charges such as possession, parahernalia, or habitual drug use in addition, these clients have been repeated offenders since adolescence and most of their charges are closely related to finding mean and way to get more drug. For that reason, BWOM sends representatives who are more than ready to advocate on the behalf of the client resulting to continue stay in rehabilitation in lieu of serving jail time. Furthermore, majority of the clients have a history of childhood abuse, domestic violence, child negligent, rape and the like which has played a significant role in their drugs use and criminal behavior.…
Substance Abuse Counselors, otherwise known as Behavioral Disorder counselors, advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, or other behavioral problems. Substance Abuse counselors do a variety of things such as evaluate client's’ mental and physical health, addiction or problem behavior, and readiness for the treatment they need. The first rehab clinic was formed in 1982 by President Ford’s wife, Betty Ford, when she developed an addiction to alcohol and prescription medication in the 1970s. Before this clinic, America formed a Prohibition Act, to ban the possession and selling of alcohol. Many people would be more tempted to drink alcohol and start an addiction due to the fact it was illegal. Today, Substance Abuse counselors have various responsibilities, specific job environments, profitable salaries, long stressful…
- This process continues throughout all of the stages, or components. Engagement involves building rapport with the client but because people with substance abuse problems are often scared, emotional, defensive and unable to trust this can be difficult. Preparing prior to the initial interview is very important as well as limiting any interruptions while meeting with your client.…
One of the largest problems facing society today is substance abuse. The individuals that face this issue are able to receive services…
Advocacy has played an important role in helping those individuals who do not have a voice, or who do not know where to turn when going through a difficult time. Advocates push to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions within social systems and institutions. Learning team A was asked to conduct an interview of a social services agency involved with advocacy. The learning team turned to a nonprofit organization named A.W.A.R.E. Inc. This organization was designed to help children and adults with behavioral disorders to reintegrate back into society. Within this agency is a woman who is a supervisor for staff but is also involved with another agency as part of her position within this nonprofit organization.…
When working with clients it is very important to provide a service that is very effective. That is the key of anyone working with trying to help and grow client. Some ways to be effective when working with a client are, assessment, contracting, setting of goals, and evaluation. All of this plays a big role when interviewing and working on helping a client grow through a situation. Freydia is a 27-year-old mother who has came to the drug program for help. She has been addicted to crack cocaine for several years. Her two children ages 7 and 9 have been removed from her custody and are now part of Child Protective Services and are currently living with the client’s mother. In the drug program sessions Freydia has talked about wanting…
Despite having a thorny past, recovering addicts can be some of the healthiest, most put-together individuals you’ll meet with a few important stipulations. First, the recovering addict should have at least one year of sobriety, and preferably many more. Second, they should be actively working a program of recovery, attending meetings, volunteering, and practicing self-care and so on, not just begrudgingly staying away from drugs and alcohol while addictive patterns fester. These provisos are in place to give…
Substance abuse and dependency persist as a major health and social concern in America. Author Joseph A. Califano, a former secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare notes, “it is hard to find an American family or circle of friends that substance abuse has not touched directly (Califano, J. A., p. 1, 2008).” Califano further explains that although Americans are 4 percent of the world’s population, Americans consume 65 percent of the world’s illegal drugs. Furthermore, one in four Americans will have an alcohol or drug disorder at some point in his or her life. Most of these individuals have parents, children, siblings, friends, community and colleagues who will “undergo psychological and social harm" (Califano, J. A., p. 1, 2008.).” Authors…
The field of substance abuse counseling is growing exponentially. With the opioid epidemic booming and synthetic drugs flooding the market, there is a dire need for counselors with education, training, and strong work ethics. But that is not why I am choosing to become a Substance Abuse Counselor, there is a little more to it. They say those that have lived it are the ones who can help others during their struggles. I am 45 years old, a mother to 3 beautiful children, one with special needs. I am also a granny to a beautiful little girl, and a wife to an amazing husband. All that has happened in the last 14 years of my life. However, the first half of my life was made up of abuse and addictions.…
By promoting education on issues such as mental illness, implication of self-medicating, and identifying high-risk individuals for incarceration, I can directly empower and advocate members of my community. These are values that I intend to cultivate throughout my professional development and are directly supported by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Likewise, the academic base I received as a student at the University of Wyoming strengthens my commitment to my clients’ empowerment and…
My experience being a volunteer at the Houston recovery center rally was great. I learned how a lot of people started abusing drugs at a very young age. I also learned that important people like judges, and the other speakers at the event have been sober on average for about ten years. The participants in the rally were very passionate about the issue and I look forward to continue working with the Houston Recovery Center. The social issue is still substance abuse. First, I will reiterate my social issue and go into more depth about it. Then, I will discuss biological influences on conditioning, and how it ties into substance abuse.…
Ever since I was in fourth grade, I have enjoyed helping kids and watching them learn new things and grow. The best feeling is helping children with something and watching their faces light up as they discover what they can do all by themselves. While in fourth and fifth grade, I was a part of the buddy program at my school which entailed spending every lunch in the special education classroom at my elementary school. A trait I possess is being sequential and that is useful for the career I want because it will help me with staying organized and grading papers. I am an analyzer, I like to know what is going on around me and love to know how things work. This is a trait that comes in handy with being an elementary school teacher.…
As future social workers, we will advocate on behalf of individuals who are oppressed in society. In the future, our clients may be individuals who suffer from a mental illness and these individuals may be denied certain rights because of their mental illness. When advocating on behalf of these individuals it is important for the social worker to respect their self-determination. The social worker can do this by “beginning where the client is”. In order to begin where the client is, the social worker must understand the challenges that exist in the client's environment. These oppressed individuals may also be barred form certain societal advantages because of social policy. For example, currently in our legislation our state officials are…
Prominently, the exponential uprise of America’s crime rate, the financial leech from other departments, and the sheer illegality of the punishment are all reasons why a federal law needs to be passed in order to treat and rehabilitate those addicted to illegal substances, rather than punish them. The flaws within this system are detrimental not only to the prisoners in question, but the entire United States. For example, funding for students who have great potential is wasted detaining an addict with no control over their problem instead of offering them legitimate help. The benefits of rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders clearly surpasses the current system in every way. The citizens of the U.S. must vote a law through that will rectify the problem; nonviolent drug addicts must be rehabilitated rather than imprisoned. The time to act is…
Ikera worked as a program supervisor at Adult Well-Being Services leading a guardianship department of about 300 consumers and seven employees. She coordinated mental health and medical care, including end of life care. Ms. Ikera applied for and followed through with applications for federal and state financial and medical assistance; prepared, filed, and followed through with Probate Court guardianship applications and annual reports; and coordinated continuum of care from hospital to place of residence. Previously, she worked on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team as a Clinical Case Manager. She provided psychological evaluations and crisis intervention for adult consumers with severe and persistent mental illness, substance abuse, and legal issues. Working from a strength based perspective, Ms. Ikera helped develop individualized treatment plans and monitored treatment progress, monitored medication and other needs to keep her clients living independently in the community. She was recently hired at the University Of Michigan Hospital as a clinical social worker on the outpatient Kidney Transplant Unit. She will be evaluating patients with kidney disease to see if they meet criteria to be placed on the transplant list. Ms. Ikera is a member of NASW and ABSW and had this to say about her motivation for entering social…