Application: Family-Based Interventions

Family-based interventions can be particularly effective in substance abuse counseling.

Not only do they address many of the roles and dynamics that have helped to perpetuate the abuse and/or addiction, they provide a stark dose of reality to the substance abuser who has avoided facing the family members emotionally affected by the abuse.

For this Application assignment, you will design a family-based intervention for a case study and consider the legal and ethical issues that may arise when implementing it.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review this week's Learning Resources, focusing on the roles and dynamics of family members.

• Reflect on the applications of various family-based interventions.

• Review the following case study: Julie.

• Think about intervention techniques that would be effective for the family in the case study.

• Consider any legal and ethical issues in implementing a family-based intervention for the family in the study.

The assignment: (1-2 pages)

• Briefly describe the roles of each family member in the case study as well as the specific attributes and dynamics of the family system.

• Describe a specific family-based intervention that you would use to address substance abuse and/or addiction in this family.

• Explain why you selected this intervention and how you predict it might impact each of the family members in the case study.

• Describe any legal or ethical considerations that may arise out of implementing an intervention with this family.