Social Workers And Substance Abuse

In this paper, the role of a social worker will be addressed. A Human Service professional has, in its hands, the responsibilities in the life of the clients and families they meet. The tremendous and arduous responsibilities they take on include, but are not limited to, the well-being and care of people and their communities. Such roles can be helping others manage the care of a family member, assisting individuals experiencing problems with family relations and conflicts, dealing with changes that come with growing old, aiding those suffering mental illness and or those individuals struggling with addictions. Briefly

Social workers form relationships with people an assist them to live more successfully within their local communities by helping them find solutions to their problems. Social work involves engaging not only with clients but their friends and families. Social workers also work closely with organisations such as the police, local authority departments,

Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.

When most people think of substance abuse and addiction counseling they often only think of the 12 step program or alcoholics anonymous. The truth is that an addiction counselor must have a vast knowledge in the

Social workers’ commitment to social justice means they want everyone to have a fair and equal opportunity to an assessment. In line with fairness, social workers should tell carers about their right to refuse an assessment as their permission, and not the person receiving care, is needed before the carer’s assessment can commence. In addition, social workers, bound by legislation regarding confidentiality and information sharing, must reserve the carer’s right to privacy whilst uphold their right to a fair hearing. This is achieved by only disclosing carer’s personal details to 3rd parties with consent, unless a safeguarding concern arises.

Social workers form relationships with people and assist them to live more successfully within their local communities by helping them find solutions to their problems. Social work involves engaging not only with clients themselves but their families and friends as well as working closely with other organisations including the police, local authority departments, schools and the probation service.

The competency “apply the core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance in the analysis of public health problems and their solutions” was met through reading chapter 5 in Public Health: What it is and How it Works, along with completing a discussion question on applying the essential public health services to gun violence in Chicago and by completing a group project where I had to describe substance abuse in terms of the ten essential public health services.

Social services within the outpatient and inpatient programs are facilitated by the social workers. The social workers host group therapy sessions, complete treatment plan, facilitates the aftercare planning meetings between the patient and their family members or friend, locate housing centers for homeless patients as well as those that are in unsafe living conditions, determine patient eligibility for program services, conduct biopsychosocial assessments, conduct CDC with patients, evaluate patients support systems, physical and emotional functioning of the patient’s, financial stability, safety, suicidal/homicidal ideation, implement treatment and discharge plans that coincide with the patient’s medical treatment, and offer referrals to residential housing and community resources.

The role of the social worker in this setting is to perform duties as an informed clinician based on evidence based practice to provide individualized case management to all clients. The social worker will complete a comprehensive intake assessment which includes demographics of the client, address presenting problem, and a risk assessment. Client’s also receive mental health screenings and individual and group counseling to gain new coping skills and address any triggers to prevent relapse utilizing interventions as CBT and Motivational Interviewing. The social worker will discuss limits of confidentiality and a signed informed consent from the client to receive services.

In June 2014, I registered with the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board for certification as a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, and began private supervision. I passed the state examination the following year. Through discussions with my colleagues and professional supervisor, as well as interactions with university professors, I developed a desire to provide advanced counseling through social work practice. I believe social work provides the best means to provide healing for the whole person in their environment.

Social Work practitioners every day interact with individuals who are challenged by personal, societal, environmental barriers to life, and in amidst this face inequities and injustice as part of life (Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers, 2011). It is the role of the social worker to use their therapeutic and facilitation skills to assess the clients risk and then work with the appropriate interventions in order to help promote social change for the individual and their family.

The research problem initially presented clearly within the article. According to ( Ashery, Carlson, Falck, and Siegal, 1995) the usage of examples to support the claims that further examination is required to understand the relationship between drug users and social services. It further explains perceptions and experiences among drug users. However, it would appear that the research problem was expanded to include emerging patterns that were observed over the decades by social workers. The additional information created confusion and difficulties understanding the flow of the document. The author questions if there is a correlation to drug users, the accessibility to basic needs and AIDS risk reduction intervention programs to the reduction. The author made several statements that there is additional supporting evidence that is

Drug addiction among homelessness falls into social work’s purview because social work is all about making differences in people’s lives. Promote health and well- being of the community. And helping individual by providing resources that will aid to meet the individual needs. Also providing support to the individual, families, and community to ensure they are getting proper treatment for drug addiction especially the poor and vulnerable. With all these facts, drug addiction falls into social work

Social work may not be the most respected profession but it’s a recognizable one. Social workers help people or groups identify their problems, determine their skills and capacities, what they are doing well, and how that was accomplished, and then analyze ways that those strengths might be applied to the identified problems. Social workers are helping professionals.

During the treatment and assessment of drug or alcohol users, social workers must put their own morals and opinions aside in order to properly assess those who are afflicted by addiction (Boyle et al, 2009). Subsequently it is important for social workers to know themselves as individuals and professionals when facilitating those they are trying to help. The social workers’ approach to the client can help determine the foundation for intervention techniques. However, in order for a social worker to fully understand the client who suffers from substance abuse, it is important to know the neurological effects that the client endures in order to ultimately gain a better understanding of treatment methods.