Special populations are groups of people whose needs may require additional, customized or specialized approaches in preparedness for, response to and recovery from extreme events. They include individuals with disabilities, individuals from economically disadvantaged families (foster children), single parents, displaced homemakers, individuals with limited English proficiency, students preparing for non-traditional fields and even individuals from a different ethno-cultural background, which may include different religious beliefs (Colarelli, 2010). This paper will look at the treating of addictions among special groups.
Special groups in the context of addiction indicates a variety of groups, including but not limited to adolescents, women and people from different ethnic/cultural groups (Landry and U.S. 1995). The purpose why special groups are identified in the process of treating addictions is due to the circumstances of addiction. According to Landry (1995), addiction requires treatment through an assorted array of “addiction treatment approaches, settings and services.” Conversely, addiction patients have common, as well as distinctive therapeutic needs, which require their treatment plans and interventions to be individualized (Landry, 1995). As a result, depending on the special group that the counsellor is dealing with, apart from the common addiction procedures, need another individualized procedure for that specific patient (McCarty, 2009).
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For example, the greatest obstacle facing special populations in addiction treatment is the feeling of shame and stigma associated with them (Hatsukami, 1999). Due to this obstacle most people in the special population feel alone and “different” during treatment and thus do not have the courage to communicate and share with other people what they are going through. Communication is a vital step in recovery from addiction. Other obstacles that have been seen in addiction treatment for special populations include; lack of information, lack of finances, inability to find a suitable treatment program, fear of losing custody in the case of women and fear of losing jobs in the case of professionals among others (Pullen & Oser, 2014)
As a counsellor I would offer information on specialized care and treatment programs available for the different types of special populations. For women, I would concentrate on programs that offer onsite child care and children service, supportive therapy, collaborative therapeutic alliances and other integrated and comprehensive treatment services. For the youth and adolescents, I would include addiction treatment programs like; behavioural therapy, family involvement, home visits, peer to peer support, positive reinforcement and social interactions (Niccols et al, 2012).
For the treating of individuals from different cultural backgrounds, or with different religious beliefs, then the strategy proposed by Landry would be the most suitable. According to this strategy, the counsellor needs to identify patient groups whose members share common treatment needs, and come up with interventions that are most suited for such needs. Therefore, if I was dealing with a Muslim addict for example, I would incorporate them into a patient group with other Muslims where they would be able to fit in and feel free to share and indulge entirely in the intervention process. I would also look for treatment and research partnerships with these cultures and religions (Landry, 1995) to ensure that I have a deeper understanding of the culture in question, and through such partnerships I would be able to create a most suitable intervention plan.
In conclusion, therapists or clinicians need to be familiar with available treatment resources and programs for their client who has been diagnosed with substance abuse. When dealing with special groups, it is imperative that the counsellor creates partnerships with other professionals as this will ensure that they have an understanding of what the client is going through, whether they are women, or people from different religions/cultures.
References
Colarelli, S. M., Han, K., & Yang, C. (2010). Biased against whom? The
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Landry, M. J., & United States. (1995). Overview of addiction treatment effectiveness .
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Niccols, A., Milligan, K., Sword, W., Thabane, L., Henderson, J., & Smith, A. (2012).
Integrated programs for mothers with substance abuse issues: A systematic review of studies reporting on parenting outcomes. Harm reduction journal , 9 (1), 14.
McCarty, D., Roman, P. M., Sorensen, J. L., & Weisner, C. (2009). Health services
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Hatsukami, D. K. (1999). Targeting treatments to special populations. Nicotine &
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Pullen, E., & Oser, C. (2014). Barriers to substance abuse treatment in rural and urban
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