The following are five key mistakes I might make in assessing a client. The first contact a counselor makes with a client can make or break the client’s assessment of me. One of the mistakes I feel may happen is in the first contact with a new client. I know that things can get hectic in the office and I always feel pressure when I don’t keep to my schedule which can make me rush. The client would know right away that I am more interested in getting work done instead of focusing my attention on them. It’s important to meet in a comfortable area that is calm and relaxing so the client feels they are not being rushed or shows that he is not just another file. This type of scenario can happen making the client feel like he may not trust you, or be able to open up to you. The client you meet for the first time, may not want to see you again or tell others of the horrible experience he had with his first visit. This could also trigger something related to their COD and may make them drink heavily.
A second mistake that I might make in accessing a client with a co-occurring disorder is my preconceptions about addiction. I currently do outreach work with combat veterans to help with their benefits or social-economic issues. Veterans are very stereotyped in relation to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Assumptions are that you fought in a war so you must have PTSD since you are a combat veteran and this is the reason why you are struggling. Not every veteran has PTSD but
In this step, it is extremely important for the counselor to see if the situation that the client is facing contains ethics. The counselor must be able to gather all the required information and get more understanding about the problem the client is facing. This can only done by strengthening the relationship with the client, if the client is able to trust you, he/she would be willing to tell you what they are facing. After the client is done describing the problem that they are facing, the counselor
The beginning of the counselling process starts when the client first meets the counsellor, the saying “first impressions count” is absolutely true for both the client and counsellor, the client will be very nervous and unsure what is about to take place.
This How a client perceives a counselor is very important in how they effective they feel they
Contact between an addictions counsellor and a client is usually initiated by the client referring him/her self, an outside agency refers them, family physician or the addictions counsellor initiates contact through outreach or other agencies. Assessment can be seen as the beginning of treatment and it becomes an opportunity to encourage the client to begin to move towards change. The initial assessment involves a mutual investigation and exploration between the client
The counsellor must offer a clean, uncluttered, protected environment with no distractions and is safe from others hearing the conversations, and greet the client in a friendly welcoming manner. The room which the counselling takes place can have a great influence on the relationship so make sure it is welcoming and relaxing. The counsellor must build rapport with the client for the client to trust them and allow free flow of information. Rapport is the sense of connecting with someone. It is something that builds up over time by showing the client they can trust the counsellor and made to feel comfortable. As a counsellor/client relationship, although not friends it is important to highlight common interests between them, be empathetic and develop understanding. The client will unconsciously notice similarities and start to feel in tune with the counsellor. To build rapport with a client a counsellor can –
Co-occurring disorders can be difficult to treat due to the complexity of symptoms. Both the mental health and substance abuse disorders have biological, psychological, and social components assessed throughout the treatment process. Co-occurring disorder individuals battle to maintain their sobriety as they need to find services for both mental health and support groups catering to their unique needs.
Concurrent disorders (clients with mental health and addiction) have different treatment needs for a number of reasons and one reason is that they differ in terms of their mental health diagnoses and their substance abuse. To illustrate this, consider the client who is diagnosed with anxiety and they use marijuana versus the client who has bi-polar disorder and they use cocaine (Courseware). The symptoms of their mental health are very different as are the drugs and the reactions of the drugs on their mental health (cocaine is a stimulant and alcohol can be both a stimulant and sedative depending on the amount being ingested).
I chose to visit a mental/ behavioral health agency, The Healthy Foundations Center, that works with many individuals who have been dually diagnosed to increase knowledge regarding substance abuse concerns. As a foster care agency, we are well prepared to work with children and families, however we are sometimes less prepared to meet the needs of parents who are also dealing with addiction. Currently, we cannot provide any medication management services, either, which is a service that could be beneficial to the clients we serve. I identified this agency because they have providers who are experienced in working with individuals with dual diagnosis, capable of meeting the complex needs of these families, as well as provide medication
When a counselor has a new client they are working with, the client has to be assessed. When being assessed the counselor has to determine what issues the client may have. Through being assessed, the counselor may come to realize the client has more than one issue which is called co-occurring disorders. At this point the client will have to be treated for more than one disorder to effectively overcome the problems they are facing. Within this paper one will locate the prevalence of co-occurring disorders, mental health and substance abuse
It now is by, and large recognized that these patients have needed to explore divided frameworks and that they have gotten treatment that is less open and less compelling than the medical services framework can convey. For quite some time the presence of a co-occurring disorder diagnosis has been ignored, overlooked or misdiagnosed, health care providers and policymakers now perceive that these conditions are prevalent and that the dominant part of patients with substance abuse issues doubtlessly has a co-occurring disorder.
I beleive that if I cannot be open and honest with myself then how can I expect the client to be open and honest with me. Through experience I Understand how daunting it is to express your thoughts and feelings, not knowing how you will be judged or how others may react towards you. Personally by offering my clients a safe place to be listened to, showing them unconditional positive regard by showing them understanding and respect and helping them to gain back their locus of evaluation has had a positive effect on me also. I feel reassured that I am a good person that i am useful and happy in the knowledge that i have given my clients a positive experience that I have helped them through a difficult and sometimes dark confusing time I am being who I truely am as this is what I have wanted to do for some time now.
If you are unable to build this rapport, you will go nowhere with a client that is either too embarrassed or not confident enough in your ability to help them.
I do not know how to begin but I was not angry, but I filled with much disappointment. I'm disappointed because of your driving attitude. We used to complain other drivers when we saw them did not drive correctly or they were inconsiderate. We would carry saying how it should be carried out and all. However, you made 3 critical mistakes that night. I understand new drivers tend to make mistakes, but you need to understand it is a mistake so that you will correct it in the future. I don't want you to become the kind of driver that we used to complain. Driving with anger is very dangerous as well. It will make you into a reckless driver. You will speed, tailgate and all kinds of life threatening moves.
Patients with dual disorders often experience more severe and chronic problems because have more than one diagnosis. Ex. a patient that is suffering from alcohol substance abuse can have a dual diagnosis. The second diagnosis can be an emotional disorder when they are not under the influence they might have withdrawal. A n clinician has to treat both dual disorder in order to help the client with the treatment. According to NCBI states “co-occurring substance use disorder and serious psychological distress. Mutual aid (“self-help”) can usefully complement treatment, but people with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders often encounter a lack of empathy and acceptance in traditional mutual aid groups. This is one of the most
I forgot to mention about the many other treatments there are out there such as individual, group therapy, or 12 step programs some people would prefer the individual therapy because they don't want a lot of people in their personal business about their addiction(s). I know it may be hard for some people to sit in a group session and talk about their problems but sometimes you will be able to meet people that suffer from the same addiction as you then you can talk to them privately about how they beat the addiction then you will be able to practice the same procedures they took to get over their addiction.