Overview
The purpose of this assignment is to increase insight regarding countertransference and any other self-of-the-therapist issues that may need to be attended to in order to provide the most ethical care in the treatment of clients who experience chemical dependency or other issues with substance use.
Prepare a 3–4-page paper in which you address your own attitudes and beliefs about addiction across the five categories listed, using the prompting questions below as a guide:
- Beliefs about Etiology of Addiction:
- How do you think people develop substance abuse problems? or process addictions?
- What are your beliefs about people who continue to have substance abuse problems and “cannot stop”?
- What are your emotional reactions to learning that someone has a drug or alcohol problem? What goes through your mind? What feelings are you aware of?
- What are your thoughts about substance use and abuse as a moral issue, a judicial matter, or a public health concern?
- Beliefs about the systemic contributions and legal consequences of addiction:
- Do you think substance use and going to prison or jail are related? What are your attitudes about those who go to prison or jail for substance related crimes? What about repeat offenders?
- What are your feelings about legalization of drugs or any specific drug?
- What structural barriers might impact some people who experience addiction more than others? What structural barriers may prohibit some people (based upon their social location) from accessing resources to treat substance use disorders?
- What societal influences might there be on the development/maintenance of SUDs?
- Attitudes about substance use behaviors:
- What are your thoughts and feelings about recreational substance use?
- What are your thoughts/feelings about medical marijuana use?
- What are your personal values about substance use? Is it (always/sometimes) okay? Is it (always/sometimes) wrong? What are the exceptions, if any?
- What are your thoughts about the differences and similarities between chemical dependency and behavioral addictions (like sex addiction, shopping addiction, or gambling addiction)?
- What are your family of origin’s attitudes and values regarding substance use? How does what you learned and experienced in your family growing up influence your attitude today?
- How has your culture or social group influenced your attitudes and reactions to substance use and abuse? Is substance use acceptable within your cultural context? What role does it play in celebrations or marking significant life events?
- What are your thoughts about the experience of those who have family members with substance abuse problems? What do you think their role(s) is/are?
- Attitudes about Harm-Reduction
- What are your thoughts about harm-reduction methods of intervention, as opposed to abstinence only methods of intervention?
- What are your thoughts about decriminalization of drugs?
- What are your thoughts the legalization of drugs?
- Potential Self-of-the-Therapist challenges:
- Do you imagine any situation related to work with addiction that would be particularly difficult for you to deal with? (e.g., codependency, sexual trauma, co-occurring disorders, parents and children using together, child neglect, etc.). How might your own biases/beliefs/prior experiences impact the work you may do with clients who experience these issues?
- Have you known or worked with people who use substances or with substance abuse problems? How have these relationships influenced your attitudes and reactions to the topic?
- How has your own use of substances (or total abstinence from substances) influenced your attitudes and reactions to others, who use or have problems with substances?
- How do you see your attitude impacting your ability to work with addicts and their families?
This paper should be written in basic APA format (12 pt. Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, the use of section headings, citations wherever appropriate,