Case Study: Jeanine used cocaine throughout her first pregnancy and feels fortunate that her two and a half year old child is healthy. When she becomes pregnant for the second time, her mother convinces her to seek drug treatment. It takes some time to find a program that will accept a pregnant patient, but she finally checks into a hospital program. Her second child is now 3 months old, and Jeanine is trying hard to stay straight.
Her counselor feels somewhat pessimistic about Jeanine’s future, for several reasons. Jeanine, who was a good student, dropped out of high school when she became pregnant. She has not been able to get a job because of her drug history, her lack of education, and her childcare responsibilities. She does not get any emotional or financial support from either of her children’s fathers. Her mother is very helpful, but she also has limited resources. Jeanine loves her children but says she is not as good a mother as she would like to be. She is afraid of losing her children.
Question for Post: Treatment should be multidimensional, self-efficacy-enhancing, and sensitive to the needs of diverse client populations. How might these ideas affect treatment for Jeanine?
Rita Witmer
YesterdayOct 5 at 9:29pm
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Treatment being multidimensional could impact Jeanine’s treatment in several different ways. Her counselor should consider first Janine’s physical and mental stability, as Janine’s child is only three months old. Her body is still recovering and Janine could be experiencing complications from hormonal changes, such a post-partum depression. This could still be playing a part in her decision making and how she is viewing the world around her. The counselor must ensure Janine is not a danger to herself or her children.
It would then be necessary to find out what factors contribute to Janine feeling as if she needs to abuse cocaine. What are her triggers, and what is a more constructive, safer way to deal with these stress factors. Help Janine with coping skills.
In order to help Janine feel like a better parent, parenting classes could be arranged with a local agency. This would help ensure Janine did not live in constant fear of loosing her children and that the children were well cared for and supervised.
Janine was a good student. The counselor should help Janine explore her interests and find avenues to obtain her GED. Programs such as Goodwill can help with job training skills free of charge to help individuals such as Janine be self-sufficient and forward moving in a field that interests Janine. Being able to care for herself and her family through financial independence would allow Janine a sense of self-worth she has been missing.
Continued counseling would help Janine to work through new problems as they arise and continue to develop coping skills for daily life issues. Janine could also explore a program such as NA to have peer support for daily struggles for addiction recovery.
In a model such as this, Janine is a partner in her treatment plan so that she is more committed to the program, feels a sense of self-value in her accomplishments, and can see hope for her future.
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