Sample Case Interview Paper

Identifying information: The client is a 24 year old, white, fourth generation Irish-American, upper class, heterosexual, cisgender male who lives in between his parent’s three apartments in Manhattan. Dillon is single and has never been married. Born in New York the client is a US citizen. Dillon has a stable source of housing, however, he often has to move between three apartments due to neighbor and co-op board complaints about noise. Dillon’s father pays the rent/mortgage on the apartments where Dillon stays. The client makes enough money to buy his own food but his work is inconsistent leaving him “without cash” often. Dillon’s parents were never married but remain in contact having once been close friends. His parents only lived together
Dillon’s mother is an artist and socialite his father is an event planner. The client stated that, “nightlife has always been a way of life for my family.” Dillon mentioned even being brought to nightclubs as a toddler and that he began going on his own in early adolescence. He explains his substance use as, “the only thing” that “makes him feel better” under the tremendous stress of his legal problems. He concedes his current drugs of choice are marijuana, cocaine and alcohol. Through our discussion it became clear that Dillon sees family dynamics, law enforcement and the court system as the problem. He feels like his interactions in these spheres have been punative and that he is being persecuted. Dillon does not see his own role in his substance use perhaps because his use has been normalized by the subculture or community where he spends most of his time. Dillon sees his legal issues as set or something he has very little ability to change or have influence over. He believes that police should not “target” or “illegally search” individuals and that once public policy changes on things like public urination that all current cases throughout the court system “should be dropped.” He thinks his
Although he admits he takes Vicodin daily for chronic pain that was diagnosed by a doctor and that he drinks and uses cocaine “occasionally” he is very proud of the sobriety he maintains through the 12-step program Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He sees the program as helping him go from a daily user of drugs and alcohol to someone who has “a few slips a few times a year.” He mentioned he has invited Dillon to come to meetings with him in the hope that it will help him get off drugs. He sees Dillon’s problem as a combination of lack of ambition, inheriting the “alcoholic genes from his mother” and “a lack of structure growing up” pointing out that Dillon’s mother “doesn't do anything” except stay sober. He thinks that if he had raised Dillon he would understand that “hard work pays off” and “understand the value of a dollar.” Instead, he was raised by a woman who “smokes and watches TV all day” and sustains her way of life through “handouts and the generosity of others.” Occasionally referring to Dillon as an “idiot” or “not too bright” Art relayed a story about how he has tried to hire Dillon to work parties a number of times and “when he shows up sometimes he is fine” but that he often misses scheduled work. Art who has mentioned he is multimillionaire just doesn't understand why his son is unwilling to work for him during six-hour events for $10 an hour. Art admits his