Rehabilitation Treatment Strategy, Case Study Example

1.Prior to referring the client Jane to a drug dependency treatment program, she should be subject to a psychiatric evaluation to rule out any current or previous history of mental illness or depression. It is important to determine if the diagnoses include mood, anxiety, or psychotic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, or otherwise.
An evaluation of the DSM-IV-TR for this client is likely to determine that she is substance dependent for marijuana. Therefore, treatment alternatives should be considered according to this diagnosis. She meets this criteria because she has regularly increased her use of the substance over a long period of time, she has given up on many social and recreational activities, as well as relationships, due to her use, and she continues to use as a means of escape from loneliness and boredom (Wiger, 2012).

Currently, Jane is using marijuana on a regular basis to cope with her problems, and the substance is interfering with her ability to perform and enjoy routine activities and engage in social settings with others.

Her family history is conducive to her drug use because her parents divorced when she was ten years old, her father was a member of the military and the family moved frequently. This did not allow her sufficient time to develop friendships and other valuable relationships in her life. She believed that by using marijuana, she could be more interesting to others, particularly during her high school years. At the time her mother was to remarry, Jane was forced by her mother to attend college away from home.

For Jane’s case, the most relevant long-term goal for treatment is to “find relief from pain and build renewed contentment and joy in performing activities of life” (Perkinson and Jongsma, 2009, p. 115). Three short term objectives for the client include 1) Begin engaging with others in peer groups to address concerns and to share experiences; 2) Engage Jane’s mother and father
in her recovery efforts; and 3) Discuss recovery efforts through therapeutic sessions.

Upon evaluation of this client, it is necessary to place her in a brief inpatient treatment program with subsequent therapy in a community of her peers. This will enable the client to address her personal relationships and what drove her to substance abuse in the first place in a controlled and supportive manner.

The client should participate in a combination of therapeutic interventions, including behavioral therapy to discuss the reasons behind her loneliness and boredom and her subsequent marijuana use. In addition, the client would benefit from family therapy with both of her parents on an individual basis. This will enable her family to recognize Jane’s issues and to provide as much support as possible to assist in her recovery in the coming months. Her family is one of the most important contributors to the cause of her condition as well as her recovery, so their role in her current state must be addressed.

According to Perkinson and Jongsma, one possible contributor to her current level of substance abuse is “to cope with negative emotions such as anger, hurt, embarrassment, or frustration” (p. 140). Based upon the information from the case study, the client has not received the support in her home environment or from her peers that is necessary to sustain a high quality of life. She appears to be withdrawn, bored, and perhaps depressed; therefore, she escapes from the daily grind by abusing marijuana on a regular basis. This serves as her means of escape from a difficult childhood and the lack of support that she has received from her parents to date. Her family’s frequent mobility due to her father’s military career, as well as her parent’s divorce are likely contributors to her current state because she was unable to make and keep friends on a long-term basis, thereby leading to loneliness over time.

References

Perkinson, R.R., and Jongsma, Jr., A.E. (2009). The Addiction Treatment Planner. John Wiley & Sons.

Wiger, D.E. (2012). The Psychotherapy Documentation Primer. John Wiley & Sons.