Discussion 1 - Evaluating Treatment Approaches

When it comes to treating drug offenders, forensic psychology professionals must have a solid understanding of desired outcomes in order to select a suitable treatment approach.

Drug abuse often results in uncharacteristic behavior and may actually generate complications related to the mental health treatment and physical well-being of the offender.

Treatment outcomes are not "one size fits all," and desirable outcomes differ for each offender. For some offenders, a successful outcome is never to use substances again, and the relapse treatment outcome model would best describe the desired outcome, lifelong abstinence.

For other offenders, success is defined as the offender doing less damage to relationships and to society through controlled use of substances, and therefore the harm-reduction model fits best.

Finally, success with the recidivism model simply means that the drug offender does not return to the criminal justice system. Each desired treatment outcome is specific to the individual offender in terms of how success is defined. This definition impacts the choice of treatment approach and guides aftercare planning as well.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the course document, "Treatment Outcome Models," found in the introduction area of this week's discussion, and think about how each model is used to determine the success of treatment approaches.

• Review Chapter 17, "Drug Courts," in the course text Handbook of Forensic Mental Health with Victims and Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Research. Reflect on the different approaches for treating drug offenders in forensic populations.

• Review the article "Predictors of Retention in an Alternative-to-Prison Substance Abuse Treatment Program" in this week's Learning Resources. Focus on alternative treatment approaches for drug offenders.

• Select a treatment approach for drug offenders that is of particular interest to you.

• Conduct an academic search in the Walden Library and select at least one scholarly article from a peer-reviewed journal that discusses the treatment approach you selected. This treatment approach should demonstrate efficacy in treating drug-offending forensic populations.

• Reflect on the treatment outcome models that were introduced . Think about how the treatment approach in the research article you selected might be evaluated by using these treatment outcome models.

•Select one treatment outcome model that you think would be the most effective for measuring the success of your selected treatment approach.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a brief synopsis of the research article you selected. Include the type of drug abused and the treatment approach used. Then explain which treatment outcome model you would use to measure the success of the treatment approach and why. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Discussion 2 - Applying Treatment Approaches

Knowledge for the sake of knowing is a noble concept, but treatment providers must understand how to apply that knowledge to real-world practice. Every drug offender brings to treatment his or her own history, set of circumstances, type of addiction, and type of drug abused.

The treatment planning process must address these unique factors regardless of the setting, and each factor must be appraised when selecting a treatment approach and when considering desirable treatment outcomes.

Most residential settings have standardized programs for treatment and many have treatment augmentation opportunities available for issues outside the scope of forensic psychology treatment in order to improve the success rates of desired treatment outcomes.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review or familiarize yourself with the types and classifications of drugs on the SAMHSA Web site.

• Review Chapter 17, "Drug Courts," in the course text Handbook of Forensic Mental Health with Victims and Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Research. Reflect on the different approaches for treating drug offenders in forensic populations.

• Review the Case Studies document, provided in the introduction area of this week's discussion, and select one of the scenarios to use.

• Identify a treatment approach that you think best addresses the various issues described in your selected case study.

• Consider the limitations of the treatment approach that you identified and think about how you would address these limitations.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a brief description of the case study and provide details on the treatment approach you selected to use. Explain why this treatment approach best addresses the issues in the case study.

Then describe one limitation of this treatment approach, explain why it is a limitation, and explain how you would address it.

Note: Put the name of the case study in the first line of your post. You will be asked to respond to a colleague who discussed a case study that you did not.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Articles :

1. "Treatment Outcome Models" by Matthew D. Geyer (2009).

2. PREDICTORS OF RETENTION IN AN ALTERNATIVE-TO-PRISON SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM By JO BROCATO and ERIC F. WAGNER

Attachment:- Case_studies.rar