Substance Abuse Case Study Psychology

Rebecca
What would you do first?
The strengths perspective is crucial when it comes to the treatment of clients who have some sort of addiction. Relapse is common when it comes to the healing process in addiction. As the clinician I would remember the importance of helping Rebecca see the strength within herself. The mere fact that she is coming to therapy, being open and sharing with me her struggles and relapse is a form of strength and I would hope she would recognize that. The reason I would begin with this is because in order to achieve the other steps such as setting goals the client must be motivated to grow and change. A client is more inclined to change if they believe themselves that they are capable. Someone who views themselves as a failure may be more willing to give up in this
Women also develop health complications more rapidly. Women in specific are faced with other issues along with the physiological and health problems. Women may also encounter issues regarding the custody of their children or the fact that they may be pregnant and using drugs. Psychologically, women are also more like to use substances when they experience stress, negative affect, and relationship troubles. They are also likely to have been introduced to the substance by a family member, boyfriend, or loved one. Relationships for women are a key factor in drug use, and they often have partners who are substance abusers as well. Psychologically they can see shared drug use as a means of being connected to their partners, who can put them at risk for health problems related to needle sharing, and have higher rates of sexually transmitted disease from unprotected sex (SAMHSA, 2009). We see this in the case of Rebecca and her relationship with her