Posted: May 21st, 2022

Group Counseling Assignment essay

Case Study for Addressing Sam’s Problem under Scenario One
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Institution
Date

Case Study for Addressing Sam’s Problem under Scenario One
Abstract
This paper has prepared a case study on Sam using the first scenario. The first scenario deals with a group of veterans who have been discharged from the military services after their return from an over one year mission in upcountry. The clients presented in the first scenario are alcohol and drug addicts, which has affected their ability to adjust to civilian life. The clients also show symptoms of PTSD. The case study has identified many challenges and weaknesses that may hinder and facilitate mental health support service to Sam and the rest of the group members. This case has identified opportunities such as the use of online meetings, competent personnel, and effective communication and interpersonal skills as the major strengths available for handling and addressing Sam’s problems. On the other hand, this case study has identified challenges associated with cultural issues, behavior, and illiteracy to interfere with the mental support program. Moreover, this case study has identified problems such as relapse, confidentiality, and conflict, sadness, and separation as some of the issues that Sam may surface during the treatment process. This case study has concluded by identifying the case management process as the best process for assessing Sam’s progress throughout the treatment process.
Keywords: PTSD, first scenario, alcohol and drug addict, case management, online meetings

Scenario One
Sam was a U.S military veteran who was discharged after returning from a one-year mission in Iraq. Sam served in the military for ten years, and he was released after he was found to be under the influence of hard drugs. Sam was born in Miami, Florida, in 1980. He was born alongside four siblings. Sam was the elderly son. Sam is African American. A single parent raised him. His mother is a nurse, and he was raised from a Christian background. Sam is married to a beautiful white lady, and they are blessed with one child. Sam is a polite, hardworking, and responsible father. He is the sole breadwinner of his family. He was responsible for his younger siblings’ school fees through his salary, and he looked after his aging mother. His wife is an elementary school teacher.
Sam has been discharged from the military service after being under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Initially, Sam was not engaging in substance abuse until he was sent for a mission in Iraq. Sam, alongside other military officials, was sent to contain a civil war in Iraq. They were sent to protect the U.S embassy in Iraq against terrorist attacks. Following the brutal murder of the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by the U.S Secret Service, the terrorist group has threatened to attack the U.S embassies in Muslim countries. This necessitated the reinforcement of security in all embassies in Muslim countries. Sam and his colleagues were sent to Iraq to protect the U.S embassy against terrorist attacks and help fight terrorist groups in the country. The drastic change in Sam’s behavior resulted from the events and things they experienced in Iraq. According to Sam, they witnessed our severe explosions, which killed over 200 people. Terrorist groups targeted hospitals and schools, and this led to the death of children and pregnant women. According to Sam, he could keep remembering the events, which forced him to engage in alcohol and drug abuse to clear his memory of these events. Sam and his colleagues were also denied access to the public. For more than one year, they could not interact with the public members in Iraq, which affected their socialization behavior. Because of these challenges, Sam has decided to seek mental health support in my office. Am wants mental help so he can easily adjust to civilian life and also be able to recover from substance and alcohol use.
Sam abuses alcohol and marijuana. Sam was discharged from his duties as a military officer after being under the influence of marijuana and alcohol. Sam was addicted to both drugs, which made the U.S ambassador issue a bad report about him, and when he returned to the barracks, he was discharged. The report indicated that Sam cannot complete his tasks and has become very stubborn and rude. The report further claimed that Sam had shown all alcohol characteristics, such as denial, persistent craving, withdrawal effects, and disregard for adverse consequences. Sam has shown other factors after he returned from the mission: fatigue, headache, nausea, depression, sweating, problem sleeping, and irritability. Also, Sam has indicated some characteristics such as red eyes, increased appetite, increased heart rate, memory impairment, distorted perception, impaired coordination, and difficulty paying attention and solving problems.
Strengths and challenges I will face leading the group
Strengths
Leading a group of veterans with a substance abuse history may pose various challenges. However, with the level of expertise and advancement in technology and the increasing need for mental health support, I believe that I will overcome the change challenges that may be associated with this task.
1. The use of online meetings
The effects of covid-19 have posed many threats to group meetings and mental health. The cases of mental health have also increased significantly with the continued impact of covid-19. The impact of covid-19 has led to more innovation and diversification. The use of technology has taken the counseling industry by storm. Today, nearly all group meetings are conducted online (Allen, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). One of the strengths that we have that will help address and handle veteran groups’ challenges is online meetings. We have established weekly online meetings where we meet with clients and share their experiences, hopes, and recovery process. The group is managed by veterans who have recovered from similar conditions and have agreed to share their stories, experience, and hopes with others undergoing the recovery process.
Having the survivors share their stories is one of the significant opportunities that we have in our group. The strategy has facilitated the recovery process of many clients. It has also helped share secrets and thoughts with other clients, which otherwise they might not share when confronted by a counselor or a family member. The meetings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday. We currently have 200 members in the group, and we are planning to recruit new clients in the group. Our program is only for outpatient clients, but we use an online platform to minimize physical contact with our clients. The use of technology to conduct online meetings will also help clients who are shy to share their experiences with other clients, which they might not share in a face-to-face interaction approach. The meetings are conducted early in the morning and late in the evening. This allows many clients to join the meetings as the time is convenient and does not limit any client from attending his/her daily activities.
We also use a mobile phone to communicate and engage our clients to learn about the progress and inquire about their challenges during the recovery process. We also have a schedule of how patients are attending our office daily. Meeting patients face-to-face helps to share some issues that might be personal and may not be shared in the group.
2. Highly competent and committed personnel
I have worked with veterans with various conditions for over 20 years. I have all the skills, expertise, and experience to handle and address the client’s issues. I have 70% success cases since I started my career as mental health support professional. My reputation and techniques are characterized by my ability to use new intervention techniques and tools to support clients. I also consider all ethical concerns, diversity issues, and beliefs in my practice, given that the clients I am handling are from diverse cultural groups.
3. Communication and interpersonal skills
The role of a mental health support professional is to persuade and convince a client to change their behavior by explaining facts and negative consequences of the action. My success in this profession has been characterized by my ability to use effective communication and interpersonal skills when handling my clients.
Challenges
1. Cultural issues
Sam is an African American, which may pose a significant challenge, especially when handling his needs. Addressing his needs will require multicultural expertise and skills to manage diverse groups. The support issued to Sam should align with his cultural values, beliefs, principles. It should also comply with the religious beliefs of the patient. The client’s culture may be a significant issue because, in the entire group, the rest are white, with Sam being only a Black nationality. The intervention programs designed for the white population should not be adopted entirely on Sam because some may compromise his beliefs and values.
2. Behavior
The behavior of veterans is usually unique. They are considered arrogant, rude, and impatient. This may be a significant challenge because clients should be understanding and patient for a successful counseling process. The behavior of veterans may compromise the effectiveness of the intervention process (Fernando & Keating, 2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). Lack of patience may cause relapse or slow response to the intervention programs. It can also delay the recovery process because the patient may lose hope in the program and fail to follow the instructions.
3. Lack of technological skills
The support program is currently issued through online meetings. One is required to have the self-discipline to be able to learn and use online sessions effectively. Lack of these skills may pose a significant challenge during the initiation of the support program. However, we have an elaborate plan that teaches and directs our clients how to use the software we are using. We have software that is easy to use and does not require special skills to use. Our software can be accessed using a smartphone, tablet, desktop, or laptop. This helps to accommodate all our client’s concerns and meet the clients’ needs regardless of the device they are using. Elderly patients are allowed to visit our office and get the services through face-to-face interaction. Those who are incapacitated in one way or another are also encouraged to visit the office to receive face-to-face services.
Common Problems that Sam will Surface in the Initial, Transition, Working and Final stages
There are many problems that Sam is likely to surface in the initial transition, working, and final stages in my group. The weakness may be from the side of the client or the management. The challenges that may hinder service delivery to clients include outdated techniques, lack of adequate skills to handle the clients, and lack of confidentiality to client information. The challenges that may hinder service delivery on clients’ side include lack of corporation, agitated behavior, and relapse.
Initial stage: confidentiality and conflict
The purpose of the initial stage is to establish the expectations of the group. In our group, our expectations include trust, goals, and roles. Confidentiality and conflict issues are addressed in this stage. Clients with alcohol and substance disorders tend to develop unique characters that require a high level of professionalism to handle. Sam may fail to follow instructions in this stage and this stage. When clients fail to follow instructions, it may not be easy to administer or implement the programs needed to support them. We encourage our patients to follow instructions and ensure that they respect one another. to address this problem, we develop a detailed plan that handled all the indiscipline cases and the consequence of action and gives them to a client the first day we receive them in our office.
Transition stage: Relapse
Relapse is the major challenge that mental support professionals face with their clients. Relapse affected the recovery process, and it also interferes with the interventions put in place for the clients. Some of the causes of relapse include bad company, stress, depression, and lack of acceptance by family members, society, and friends (Henderson, Willis, Walter & Toffoli, 2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). Developing a program for clients to avoid relapse is very important when handling clients with substance and alcohol use. It helps avoid ad prevent the challenges brought about by relapse.
Working stage: lack of corporation
The working stage is a stage that preceded a transition stage. During this stage, Sam would have started to feel comfortable to corporate with other group members. During this stage, Sam may still fail to corporate with the group members. Clients respond to intervention programs differently. Some respond faster than others. The selection of an intervention program should be based on factors such as level of addiction, age of the client, gender, and ethnic group of the client (Molewijk Hem & Pedersen, 2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service). When these factors are considered when developing an intervention program, a client’s recovery process will be enhanced. To ensure that Sam responds well to the treatment programs, we will create a plan that suits his culture, values, and beliefs. This will help him respond well to the intervention programs.
Final stage: sadness and separation
Sam may be stressed when he learns that he will not be together with his group members. This stage may e associated with stress for group members because they will feel lonely. This stage, however, is essential because it will allow Sam to reflect on his experiences and decide how he will use the knowledge that he would have acquired in his future occurrences. This stage usually comes with feelings of sadness and desperation. We will, however, encourage feedback during this stage in addressing the effects of loneliness. Sam will be encouraged to give other group members feedback to help him remain in touch with the group member.
Process of assessing Sam’s progress
The process of assessing Sam’s progress throughout the process is the case management process. The case management process involves intake, need assessment, service planning, and monitoring and evaluation. Intake is the initial meeting between Sam and the case manager. During this stage, the case manager collects demographic information about the client (Molewijk, Hem & Pedersen, 2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service). Need assessment stage builds on the data collected during the intake stage, going into deeper depths on the client’s challenges, interests, and risks to success. The next stage of assessing Sam’s progress is service planning which is essential for the success or failure of the client. During this stage, the case manager establishes goals and the actions that should be taken to meet those goals. The last stage is monitoring and evaluation. This stage will help understand the impacts that the programs and services have on Sam.

References
Allen, R. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The role of the social worker in adult mental health services. London: The College of Social Work.
Fernando, S., & Keating, F. (Eds.). (2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). Mental health in a multi-ethnic society: A multidisciplinary handbook. Routledge.
Henderson, J., Willis, E., Walter, B., & Toffoli, L. (2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). Community mental health nursing: Keeping pace with care delivery?. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 17(3), 162-170.
Molewijk, B., Hem, M. H., & Pedersen, R. (2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service). Dealing with ethical challenges: a focus group study with professionals in mental health care. BMC medical ethics, 16(1), 1-12.

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