Agency Site Visit Paper

AGENCY SITE VISIT

All students will complete a site visit at a local chemical dependency agency/program in order to learn firsthand about clientele, level of care, curriculum, assessment procedures, treatment plans, case management and counseling issues, staff issues, etc. Yes you may use the agency that you complete or completed  your AHS fieldwork hours .  Thereafter you will analyze the effectiveness of the treatment services. I’m looking for you to base your critique on examples and opinions cited in the literature.  Follow APA formatting.

NOTE: Personal Biases and opinions should not be addressed in this paper. All observations should be addressed through your substance abuse theoretical framework.

Call an agency/program and schedule an informational interview with an Addiction Professional. Interview him or her with the assistance of the  “Outline for Site visit” below

Write a 6- 9 page paper describing and analyzing the service. Organize your paper into these four sections:  I. Descriptive Information; II. Theoretical Approaches   III. Analysis of Service: IV. Implications for My Substance Use Disorder Practice. It must be organized in this fashion or it will not be graded. Each section is to be clearly labeled.

Sections I and II 200 points

Sections IIIand IV 200 points

Outline for Site Visit.

I.  General Description of Service

A.  Describe the agency /program and its target population.

B.  Describe the program’s level of care system and how one transfer’s to each level.

C.  Describe the screening, assessment intervention, discharge process. What are the time frames, assessments, primary intervention modalities case management. process group, education group?

II. Theoretical Approaches

A.  Discuss the prominent theories/models that underlie the service provided. Moral

Model, Medical – Disease Model Learning Theory,  Psychoanalytic Theory. Ecological

Perspective, Family Theory, Bio Psycho Social Theory

III. Critical Analysis of the Quality of Treatment Service: Analyze the effectiveness of the service based on the needs of the target population by critically describing 4 things in the program is doing effectively and 4 things the program needs some improvement. A list of some ideas…

* Intake: Is there treatment on demand or is there a long waiting list?

* Orientation: is there a thorough welcoming orientation?

Urinal Analysis (UA): Does the program conduct U.A’S? Is this the major “tool!” used to monitor AOD use? What are the consequences if a client gets a positive urine screen?

What education is offered?  What part of the program is the most important for the

Clients’ to learn? Is relapse prevention being offered early in treatment or is it offered just prior to discharge?

* Cultural Competence: Is the program adequately accounting for the cultural diversity of its clients (gender, race, sexual orientation, class, age disability, etc).Did they speak the language of the clients they served?

* Dual Diagnosis Disorders: Is the program adequately addressing dual disorders? Is pharmacotherapy available?

* Family /Significant Others: Does the program have an avenue for other parties to get involved? Are there family groups, or private family sessions? What about the children?

*Case management: Does the program provide case management?

*Ancillary Services: Some populations need services in addition to drug/alcohol (such as transportation/housing, childcare, food vocational legal help). Are these provided?

*Outcome Studies: How does the program measure successful treatment outcomes? Does the program provide a follow up interview (six months after discharge) as a way to evaluate the program or study outcomes.

*Strength Based Practice: Did the agency provide a positive atmosphere? Were the counselors genuinely friendly? Was the agency client-centered?

IV. Implication for My Substance Use Disorder Practice: based on what you learned in the process of this paper, what skills or information do you need to improve the quality of your work with AOD clients?

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