From the substance abuse counseling demonstration, one of the clients had an addiction to caffeine. According to the patient, use of caffeine helps boost his energy levels and also improves his mood. This addiction got the patient to cycle of fatigue in the absence of caffeine. The other two patients were addicted to caffeine. One of the clients had shown quite some improvement in reducing cocaine use. However, the two patients had triggers that made them relapse to the drug use. These triggers were initiated by close friends, who, according to one of the clients, brought the desire of use or be in possession of drugs ( Copersino, 2017, p.91).
In helping the patients overcome their addiction, the counselors recommended that the patients should indulge in activities that push them far away from their triggers that bring the desire of using drugs. Activities that would keep the patients engaged both physically and mentally were encouraged, such as exercising in the gym, taking walks, and also reading. Secondly, the counselors urged the patients to stay away from and avoid friends, groups and people who made these drugs easily available to them, or brought the desire of indulging in drugs. The counselors effectively engaged the patients in coming up with realistic solutions that would work for them in ensuring that relapse to drug use does not happen. There was a recommendation that the patients needed to find work or employment, in order to keep them engaged and keep the thoughts of drug usage at bay, and also make sure that they genuinely earn a living not from the sale of drugs. One of the patients was discouraged from receiving cocaine as payment for work done, and was encouraged to make use of the skills she possessed to get a job. The patients were also encouraged to join groups of recovering addicts in order for them to share experiences and efforts that would help them overcome the challenge of drug abuse ( Copersino, 2017, p.93).
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Throughout the counseling sessions, all the counselors remained calm and attentive to what their clients had to say and missed not a word. This is clearly seen by how they accurately paraphrased what the patients had said. They all exhibited genuine empathy and concern for the patients and showed the willingness to help the clients, and were keen to note the non-verbal communication of the patients. The counselors were firm in the recommendations given to the patients while making them take ownership of the solutions realized and at the same time remained nonjudgmental towards the patients. The counselors also gave hope to the clients by being encouraging throughout the counseling sessions ( Copersino, 2017, p.95).
The counselors employed both moral and temperance models in the counseling sessions with their clients. By using these two models, they encouraged their clients to make use of the inner strength they possess to fight and stop their addictions. They insisted on abstinence from the substance being abused and avoidance of every trigger that would cause the patient to have a relapse. Additionally, the counselors employed solution focused therapy in helping the clients achieve their goal of overcoming addiction, as well as strength based theory, which helps the patient pay attention to the things which are going right in his or her life, or the efforts which are yielding results in the fight to overcoming addiction ( Copersino,2017, p.95).
The most commonly used strategies by successful counselors include spheres of influence where the patient looks at the areas that are influencing and having an impact in his/her life, confrontation where the patient does a self-examination of his/her life, congruence where the counselor shows genuine concern for the patient, immediacy where the counselor addresses issues as they occur during counseling. Excellent listening skills and engagement by the counselor are also great strategies in counseling, because relating well and professionally with clients goes a long way in ensuring that patients achieve their goal ( Copersino, 2017, p.97).
Reference
Copersino, M. L. (2017). Cognitive mechanisms and therapeutic targets of addiction. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences , 13 , 91-98.
