Week 3: Assessment And Treatment Of Addiction - A 17-Year-Ol ✓ Solved

Week 3: Assessment and Treatment of Addiction - A 17-year-ol

Week 3: Assessment and Treatment of Addiction - A 17-year-old female client is six months pregnant and addicted to cocaine. She has been living in a homeless shelter and has been using throughout her pregnancy. The client understands the possible harm her cocaine use poses to the unborn baby but insists she will manage her addiction after giving birth. As a helping professional, what is your responsibility to the mother and child?

Assignment: Provide a 300-word discussion post that contains the following:

- Two assessment approaches for assessing an individual's addiction and explain why they are effective.

- One model of addiction treatment and explain why it may be effective in treating addiction.

- Support your response using the required readings and current literature.

- Include at least 3 references and citations from the required readings: Doweiko (2019) Chapters 28 and 31; Ding, Slate, & Yang (2018).

Paper For Above Instructions

Overview and Professional Responsibility

The presenting case—a 17-year-old pregnant adolescent living in a homeless shelter and actively using cocaine—raises urgent clinical, ethical, and safety obligations. As a helping professional, primary responsibilities include assessing immediate safety for mother and fetus, providing nonjudgmental engagement and evidence-based interventions, coordinating prenatal and addiction care, documenting risk, and understanding mandatory reporting obligations in the relevant jurisdiction (ACOG, 2017; Doweiko, 2019). The clinician must balance confidentiality and adolescent consent laws with obligations to protect the unborn child and pursue services that reduce harm (AAP, 2012; SAMHSA, 2018).

Two Effective Assessment Approaches

1. Structured Diagnostic Assessment Using DSM-5 Criteria and Standardized Instruments

Using the DSM-5 algorithm for substance use disorders combined with standardized instruments (e.g., Addiction Severity Index [ASI], structured clinical interview) provides a reliable diagnostic framework (APA, 2013; McLellan et al., 1992). These tools assess severity across domains—medical, psychiatric, legal, family, and substance use—guiding treatment intensity and placement (Doweiko, 2019). For adolescents, formal structured interviews adapted for youth improve diagnostic accuracy and uncover co-occurring mental health issues that commonly co-occur with homelessness and substance use (Ding, Slate, & Yang, 2018).

Why effective

Standardized diagnostic approaches reduce clinician bias, quantify severity, and allow treatment planning using ASAM criteria (McLellan et al., 1992; Doweiko, 2019). They also facilitate ongoing monitoring of treatment response and outcomes.

2. Brief Screening plus Biological Testing (CRAFFT + Urine Toxicology)

For adolescents, validated brief screens such as CRAFFT identify risky substance use quickly, while point-of-care urine toxicology confirms substance exposure (Knight et al., 2002; NIDA, 2018). Combining self-report screening with objective testing improves detection of ongoing use and informs immediate safety decisions during pregnancy.

Why effective

Adolescents may underreport use due to stigma; corroborating self-report with biologic measures increases detection accuracy (NIDA, 2018). Screening is rapid, scalable in shelters and clinics, and when coupled with motivational engagement can prompt treatment linkage (Miller & Rollnick, 2013).

One Model of Addiction Treatment: The Minnesota Model

The Minnesota Model is a multidisciplinary, disease-model approach integrating 12-step philosophy, group therapy, education, family involvement, and medical/mental health care (Doweiko, 2019). Treatment is typically residential or intensive outpatient, emphasizes peer support and abstinence, and uses a team that includes counselors, physicians, and peer recovering individuals.

Why the Minnesota Model may be effective

The Minnesota Model’s strengths include structured psychosocial support, integration of medical and behavioral care, and emphasis on peer networks and relapse prevention—factors that improve engagement and long-term recovery for many clients (Doweiko, 2019). For adolescents, its group focus fosters social connectedness, and the multidisciplinary team can address co-occurring psychiatric conditions—common among homeless youth (Ding et al., 2018). Research shows that structured, comprehensive programs that combine psychosocial counseling, medical monitoring, and ongoing support result in better retention and reduced substance use compared with unstructured care (NIDA, 2018).

Limitations and Adaptation for Pregnant Adolescents

However, traditional Minnesota Model programs often lack pregnancy-specific prenatal care and may not be adolescent-tailored. For a pregnant 17-year-old, adaptations are essential: integration of obstetric services, trauma-informed and adolescent-friendly approaches, legal/parenting supports, and harm-reduction strategies (SAMHSA, 2018; ACOG, 2017). Contingency management and motivational interviewing augment engagement for pregnant women and adolescents (Higgins et al., 2002; Miller & Rollnick, 2013).

Clinical Plan and Ethical Actions

Immediate steps include: (1) conduct DSM-5-based assessment plus CRAFFT screening and urine toxicology to establish current use and severity (APA, 2013; NIDA, 2018); (2) coordinate with prenatal care and refer to perinatal addiction services that provide integrated obstetric, pediatric, and addiction treatment (SAMHSA, 2018); (3) apply motivational interviewing and contingency management to increase treatment engagement (Miller & Rollnick, 2013; Higgins et al., 2002); (4) assess for co-occurring mental health conditions and trauma and provide or refer for psychotherapy; and (5) review mandatory reporting obligations and document clinical rationale for any child-protection notifications while prioritizing linkage to supportive services rather than punitive measures (ACOG, 2017; AAP, 2012).

Conclusion

Helping professionals must combine rigorous assessment with a compassionate, multidisciplinary treatment approach. Standardized diagnostic tools (DSM-5/ASI) and adolescent-appropriate screening plus toxicology offer complementary assessment strengths. The Minnesota Model provides a structured, team-based framework with evidence for effectiveness, but for a pregnant adolescent it should be adapted to include prenatal care, adolescent-specific therapies, and harm-reduction strategies. Ethical practice requires balancing adolescent confidentiality with fetal and child safety, prioritizing engagement, integrated services, and nonpunitive referrals that optimize outcomes for both mother and child (Doweiko, 2019; Ding et al., 2018; SAMHSA, 2018).

References

  • American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). (2012). Policy statement: Neonatal drug withdrawal. Pediatrics.
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). (2017). Committee Opinion No. 711: Opioid Use and Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy.
  • American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
  • Ding, K., Slate, M., & Yang, J. (2018). History of co-occurring disorders and current mental health status among homeless veterans. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-8.
  • Doweiko, H. E. (2019). Concepts of Chemical Dependency (10th ed.). Cengage Learning. (Chapters 28 and 31).
  • Higgins, S. T., Silverman, K., & Heil, S. H. (2002). Contingency management in substance abuse treatment. Guilford Press.
  • Knight, J. R., Sherritt, L., Shrier, L. A., Harris, S. K., & Chang, G. (2002). Validity of the CRAFFT substance abuse screening test among adolescent clinic patients. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 156(6), 607-614.
  • Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
  • McLellan, A. T., Luborsky, L., Woody, G. E., & O’Brien, C. P. (1992). An improved diagnostic evaluation instrument for substance abuse patients: The Addiction Severity Index. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 170(6), 432–440.
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2018). Principles of Effective Treatment. National Institutes of Health.
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2018). Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant and Parenting Women with Opioid Use Disorder and Their Infants.

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