Suppose you are a drug rehabilitation counselor at a local high school and you are acquainted with two students, named Tara and Debbie. Tara, 17 years old, is an active substance abuser. Previous interviews with Tara indicate that there have been many instances in which she has gotten into a serious fight at school, and she knows several students her age who use marijuana and other drugs.
Debbie, 17 years old, is not an active substance abuser. Previous interviews with Debbie indicate that she also has gotten into serious fights at school and knows several students her age who use marijuana and other drugs.
Questions:
What strategies could be encouraged during counseling with Tara that would provide a greater number of protective factors in her life?
What factors might be present in Debbies life that could be responsible for her resistance to drug-related problem?
Could your experience with the case of Debbie be useful in counseling Tara? Explain.
Scenario #2
If an individual received a fourth conviction for possession of a controlled substance (heroin):
Questions:
Would you support a sentence to a community supervision option, such as drug court, knowing that these program types have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing recidivism, or would you support a prison term, due to the repeat nature of his offending?
Would your opinion change if the defendant were a woman with dependent children?
Would your opinion change if the individual was motivated to change his or her drug-using behavior, but did not have the resources to do so? Justify your responses.
