Crisis Intervention Using ABC Model - Research Paper Example

Crisis Intervention Using ABC Model on a Case Study The purpose of the following case study is to study how crisis intervention methods are effective in dealing with social and medical problems which result in a crisis for individuals. A case study of a substance abuse patient who had visited recently shall be outlined. A crisis intervention plan shall be chalked out by using Kanel’s ABC model (2007) to help the patient recover from his condition. Case Study - John Smith John Smith (changed name for anonymity purpose) is a 38 years old Hispanic living in the suburbs of XXX. John is married with three children ages 15, 13 and 5 years. His wife Donna is 37 years old, and a Hispanic too. John works as a firefighter, while his wife as a librarian at the local community library. Both have public service jobs, but largely depend on John’s income for financing their domestic needs including schooling, socializing, and insurance etc. John works odd hours at the fire department which leaves him little time for socializing with his family. At times he does not return home at all. His children are of the views that they do not "really know" their father anymore. Donna on the other hand does mind because she has adjusted to Johns "routine". She is highly dedicated to her job, household responsibilities and the care of their children. John loves his family, and feels that he needs to do more to provide for them. In the past five years he has been feeling more of the stress due to peer and social pressure. To de-stress himself, John has been taking marijuana "joints" with the “boys” at work. This habit had started as a recreational activity, while waiting for a fire to happen, but in the past 3 years its regularity has increased manifolds, to the extent of eating up his finances, and deteriorating his relationship with his family. Recently, John finds himself tire easily and difficult to concentrate at his job. He would stumble and fall, and injure himself which disturb his job performance. The Crisis When asked, John traced his problem from the time when he started missing out on his family get-togethers. His wife complained that John was no longer interested in spending value time with the family or relatives, an essential factor in Hispanic families. This started when John got promoted to supervisor at the fire department. The promotion was a situational stressor disguised as an opportunity for John and his family. John was happy with the promotion, because of the salary raise and respect attached with the position. However, John started to miss out on family gatherings to the extent of even missing out on his own family’s special occasions such as his sons baseball final games, parent-teacher meetings and birthdays of his children. For the family, these occasions have become a family crisis because in their culture, it was highly important to value family and relations. John was of the view that he was disinclined to participate in these events because of time constraints and pressure at work. He also had "no choice" but to remain at work to show to superiors that he deserved the title. He began smoking more joints especially when he was alone at the department completing paperwork, or doing overtime duties. Work stressors were of primary concerns for John because he was inclined to exceed the expectations of his superiors and peers. At home, the family formed the secondary stressors who required his presence to make family decisions. These combined has led to Johns crisis. Background Impact Being a Hispanic male for John adds to the crisis situation. According to Galanti (2003) a Hispanic family is characterized by the superiority of the role of the male member. The male is responsible for the familys well-being as well as decisions, care and protection. This patriarchal system emphasizes on male leadership while the traditional Hispanic wife is entrusted with household responsibilities and motherhood. This puts great stress on the male provider. Since John belongs to a lower-middle income group, his Hispanic cultural background puts more pressure on him to perform his male role and engage in social interactions with his large family. Among Hispanics, children are the foundation of the family, and the male head of the family is responsible for their education and livelihood. John constantly feels financial pressure for his family to compete with other relatives in the community. Although his wife works, as an ethnic rule, her income is considered to be "untouchable" to him. The family therefore largely depends on him for provision of all needs. As the children grow older, the pressure to put them in college, provide for their lifestyles and socialization increases for John (Faddis, 2007). These aspects make it difficult for John to break away from his Hispanic background and perhaps an impediment for crisis intervention. Social Problem Generally, substance abuse affects the victim mentally, physically and socially. The Help Guide (2009) organization indicates that drug abuse and addiction is difficult to treat even when the addict fears the risk of losing his home, family or/and job. A drug abuse case often arises because of the powerful forces of family, genetics, mental illness, physical pain or peer pressure. Each of these components is responsible for elevating the mental instability of the individual. Moreover, a substance abuse patient craves for relief from untreated mental and physical stress but they are unable to reach out for help because of their tendency towards loneliness, depression and other social constraints. Instead, they become withdrawn, dissociate from their loved ones. The higher the level of drug tolerance, the more withdrawn the individual becomes from his/her social environment. Physical symptoms such as shakes, chills, severe aches, pains, difficulty in sleeping, agitation, and depression increase the withdrawal symptoms (Saisan, Segal and Cutter, 2009). As a result of this, the individual becomes emotionally and mentally unstable. Mood swings, irritability, anger, spaced out, unresponsiveness, depression, paranoia, and lowered tendency for violence occurs. This has great implications on the immediate family members. In the case of John for example, as a Hispanic head of the family, his wife and children require his participation in almost all aspects of their lives. This puts pressure on John, and drives him even more towards seclusion. There is a risk that John, due to pressure from his environment might resort to suicide. Any intervention would have to include his family to help him achieve his goal of a crisis-free life (Saisan, Segal and Cutter, 2009). Crisis Intervention Plan To resolve the above case, the author shall use the ABC model as outlined by Kanel (2007). The ABC model states that there are three components to a crisis: i. A precipitating event ii. The perception leading to subjective distress iii. Coping methods In the above case, Johns promotion has been the precipitating event which has led to his marijuana addiction. He perceives he has a responsibility to his family, peers and community, and got bogged down by it so much that he had to resort to marijuana to cope with these stressors. Although, he realizes the implications of the precipitating event, he is unable to find solution for his dilemma. Johns condition can be alleviated. The process can be broken up into the following steps: A - Basic Attending Skills First John has to acknowledge that he has a problem with substance abuse and that he is willing to resolve it with external help with the cooperation of his family. B - Subjective Distress John must come to the therapist on his own will. This will be due to something that has happened to motivate him and put a stop to his addiction. It could be a family situation, a work issue or a personal realization which clearly makes him realize his perception of the situation and how it can be resolved. Aspects that the author will explore are his stressors including behavioral, social, financial and occupational as well as his mental stability in terms of suicide tendency, homicide or medical concerns. This will be followed by addressing his marijuana addiction, by providing information on the implications of it and what choices he has, to put a stop to it. C - Coping Methods Once John admits that he needs help, he can be asked about attempts at coping with his stressors and his strategies to cope with the substance abuse. To add to his efforts, the author will refer him to other options such as group therapy, family therapy and medical doctor or psychiatrist. This will be followed up with a promise from him to commit to the program. The author shall also books on substance abuse to read so that he becomes aware of his crisis. Conclusion The above crisis intervention plan has been designed with the view that John has accepted that he has a problem and willing to rectify his situation. The participation of his family is also critical for this intervention strategy. In the process, to prevent the author from personal burnout, the author will devise a process for interacting with the family without personal involvement. This can be achieved by inviting the members to the clinic for counseling. The second strategy is to document every event and situation so that the author can review it regularly as a “case study”, and think rationally on its resolution. References Faddis, J. (2007). American Culture in Conflict with Traditional Values of Hispanic Male Immigrants. EurekaAlert. Online accessed on 17 October 2009 available at: http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/studies/report-78802.html Galanti, GA (2003). The Hispanic family and male-female relationships: an overview. Journal of Transcult Nursing.14 (3):180-5. Kanel, K. (2007). A Guide to Crisis Intervention by Kristi Kanel, 3rd Edition, Thomson/Brooks/Cole. MacDonald, H. (2009). Hispanic Family Values? City Journal. Online accessed on 17 October 2009 available at: http://www.city-journal.org/html/16_4_hispanic_family_values.html Saison, J., Segal, J. and Cutter, D. (2009). Drug Abuse and Addiction. Help Guide. Online accessed on 17 October 2009 available at: http://helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm Read More