The case study describes a girl who has been abusing drugs from grade seven. The study outlines how she started to use drugs, the people who initiated her to drugs, and the effects that the drugs are having on her. However, the study depicts several vital elements that a study should entail. Firstly, the study has built a good story. The case study is enjoyable since it does not portray a drab delivery. For instance, it has a simultaneous flow as it begins from Lara's background, how she started abusing drugs, and also how she ends up dealing with the situation (Mills, Durepos, & Wiebe, 2010) . Also, the study story does not end in a dilemma, thus making it a good story. Secondly, the study uses a realistic scenario. In this case, it is a realistic case since drug abuse is a common thing among adolescents, and one can easily be lured into it. The reason as to why Lara began smoking were her friends. They must have told her how it feels great to be high, and as a result, Lara chose to try it. They are the ones who had a negative influence on her about drugs; thus, luring her into it. Besides, the case study engages corporate learners actively. In this case, learners of this case study will become concerned about the end result of the study. The study has been outlined in bits in a manner in which one can easily understand them. Also, it creates the desire in learners on what will eventually happen to Lara now that she has started abusing drugs at a young age. Lastly, the case study uses branching scenarios. As leaners are being fed with information about Clara, the case study has gone beyond the consequences and facts that Lara faces. Firstly, the case study has outlined that Lara is first entitled to several sessions that will enable her to change her behavior. However, the sessions do not seem to make an impact on her. Eventually, Lara falls in the hands of the police, where she is now taken into a residential drug treatment program, which she surprisingly accepts to join, given the fact that she has been under drugs.
From the case study, Lara has experienced both an adaptive and maladaptive characteristic. Among the adaptive characteristic portrayed is that when she is taken into a residential drug treatment plan, she responds to it positively by actively trying to avoid the use of drugs that she has been abusing. She also admits that it is difficult for her to stay without using drugs since she was used to being high all the time. However, another initial adaptive characteristic is the outpatient drugs that she had already begun taking after persuasion from her parents and a therapist. The problem, in this case, is that Lara never completed her treatment, but she showed signs of a person that is willing to change. Based on a maladaptive characteristic, once Lara was initiated to drug abuse, for instance, cigarette, marijuana, and alcohol, it was hard for her to turn away from them since she could not do without using them. She had developed a habit that had made her more than just an addict to an extent that she began missing school. This impacted her grades at school since they turned out to be poor drastically, thus drawing attention of both her parents and teachers on why she is suddenly underperforming. Lara used to skip school and drive to her friends' place, who schooled at a local college. From this, besides using alcohol and marijuana, she began using ecstasy drugs and also narcotics.
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Based on the risk factor, this came by in the scenario where Lara was driving carelessly and got herself involved in a minor crash. This occurred at the time when she was going back home from a night club. Before going to the club, Lara had been drinking alcohol, and also, while at the club, she had used Ecstasy. This had put her life in danger by getting engaged in the accident. She was lucky enough to survive the accident as it was just a minor accident. However, on the other hand, the protective factor is that Lara has able parents who can bring in a therapist to talk to her and assist her in stopping the use of drugs. Moreover, these factors experienced have led to the development of adaptive and maladaptive factors. For instance, getting engaged in an accident has made her realize the effects that drug abuse can have on her life, thus prompting her to agree on the inpatient drug treatment. On the other, having able and stable parents financially made her develop a maladaptive characteristic. For instance, in the case where she starts underperforming, she is not worried about the situation since she knows that her parents will be there for her. Also, her parents must be the ones giving her money, which she ends up purchasing drugs with.
When it comes to assessment, both behavioral and motivational approaches can be implemented. For the case of behavioral, this is whereby when you have talked to Lara about the effects of drugs, she should be able to behave in a way to suggest that she has stopped using drugs or she is trying to stop using drugs. In terms of motivation, the way she talks will portray everything. A person who is willing to change may use phrases like "I have tried severally, but I have failed," in this way, you should be able to advise her on the bit by bit step that she should take. For instance, “Begin by using them at occasional times and eventually stop using them completely.” However, based on these approaches, I would prefer using motivation. The reason why I choose it is that in behavior, one can pretend to have changed, but in the real sense, he/she has not. But for the case of motivation, as a therapist, you can be able to know that a person is telling the truth, and he/she has tried to make changes. Thus, motivation should be best to be used.
Furthermore, strength-based treatment plans that could be used in the case of Lara are Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) and Family support service. SFT concentrates on the outcome of making a person better instead of what made them indulge in abuse. On the other hand, family support service will engage itself in talking to a victim who is a family member by improving the status of family life and also develop the strengths of a parent (Pattoni, 2012) . From the case study, SFT could work in a manner in which it will aim at making an impact on Lara by, making sure that she stops abusing drugs. It will not focus on how she started using drugs instead. Besides, family support service will work in a manner in which the family will try to provide other essential things that can keep Lara engaged all the time while at home instead of going out clubbing. Her parents will also try to prove that they can make her stop drugs by implementing stringent rules on her. However, these two plans are different from each other, whereby SFT goes straight to the point of focus, whereas the Family service plan will have to use a persuasive tone or, at times, harsh tones to make her change. For this case, I would go for SFT over the family support service. The advantage of SFT is that it is centered on future desire and will put more emphasis on making sure Lara stops drug abuse by all means.
Conclusively, standard 4 of the National Organization for Human Services supports my assessment and treatment plan in this case study. It states that when a life of a client or any other person is suspected to be endangered by the actions of a client, human rights professionals should respond and take action professionally to ensure that the client and the other persons around him or her are safe. Besides, this may require consulting, monitoring, and also putting aside the privacy of relationships in between (NOHS, 2015) . This standard will take measures in ensuring Lara's abuse of drugs does not reach levels of imposing danger to herself and also those around her. For instance, in the case of the accident. If this standard was taken earlier in advance, this might never have happened. However, after the accident, this standard should be taken into consideration to prevent future cases in case she starts abusing drugs again.
References
Mills, A. J., Durepos, G., & Wiebe, E. (2010). USC . Retrieved from USC Libraries: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy
NOHS . (2015). Retrieved from National Organisation for Human Services: https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals
Pattoni, L. (2012, May 1). IRISS . Retrieved from Strengths-based approaches for working with individuals: https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/strengths-based-approaches-working-individuals
