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Ali INTERNSHIP PLAC:EMDi''1'REPORT IIlc:LtJDIJfQ"IIOCTLIIfEOF IN'l'ERVElfTIOJl STRATEGIES FORBl)OCATORS COIfFltONTED WI'l'JI DROG AND

ALCOHOL PROBLEKB

by

ClPat r iciaA. Croke, B. Sw.,B. Ed .

Aninter nship repor t submit tedto theSchool oLGr4du4te studIesInpart141 LulLllllle ntotthe requJrel:e nts

tor the degreeot H4s t erot Educ a tion

FacultyofEduca t i o n Me morialUniversity of Newfoundlan d

19 9 2

St.John's Newfoundland

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~bl~:raenalionale OirectiOndesatQJisitionset desseMcesblbliogr~

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The author has granted an Irrevocable non-excluslvelicence allowing the NationalLibraryof Canada t~ reproduce, loan, dist ribu te or sell cop ies of his/herthesisbyany meansand Inany formor format, making thisthesisavailabletoInterested persons.

The authorretain s ownersh ipof thecopyright In his/her thesis.

Neitherthe thesisnorsub stantia l extracts fromitmaybeprintedor otherwise reproduced without his/herpermission.

L'aut euraaccords unelicence irrevocable et non exclusIve permeltant Il la Biblioth equ e nationale du Canada de reprodulre,preter,distr ibuer ou vendra descopiesde58these de quelque maniere et sous quelque forme que cosalt pour mettre desexemplairesde cette these Il la dispositi on des personnes lnteressees.

L'auteurconservelaproprietedu droit d'auteu r qui protege 58 these.Nllathesenl desextralts substanti els de celle-ci ne dolvent etre Imprimes ou autrement reproduits sans son autorlsatlon.

ISBN 0-315- 825'33-&

Canada

ABSTRACT

Thi s report descr ibes an inte rn ship expe r i en c e . The experie nce wa s some wha t atypical as it invo lved th e st udent spend i ngeq u a l timein two placements . The report descr i be s the inter n s hi p and a research paper prepared tomeet the int ernsh ip re qu i r e me nt s as se t down by the Faculty . The goals of the int e r n s h i p included gaining psychometric skills, along with teachingand researchexperience. The13week interns h ip wa s spli t equa l l ybe t we e n the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Comni ss i on (ADDC) and the Work Skills Evaluation Pr og ra m at the General Hosp ital, Mi ll e r Centre.

Dur ing the placement at the ADDC, the intern enga g ed in program development, research and program delive r y . There wa s extensi ve oppor t un i t y in th i s plac e ment to speak with the profes sionalstaffabout servicesoffered and resourceswithi n ADDC and the community. Therewas also the opportunity to co- l ea d a parentworkshop called "Smooth sailing ." Much of the time, while with the agency, was spe nd re s e a r ch i ng the document entitled

"Address ing Alcoho l and Drug relat e d problems of Yout h:

Interventionstrategies for Te ach e r s and Counsellors," wh i ch is inc l u d e d inpa r t two of the report.

During thepla c eme ntwi th theWo r k Skills Evaluationprogram, the internhad the opportuni tyto admi nisterpsychologicaltests

i l

and to par ticipate in repor t writing. She als o atte nd ed te a m meetings, became invo lve d in case con f e re nc es on Cl i ents and deliveredanin-servicetraining session addre s sing cur rentissues in assessment.

The rese a r ch compo ne n t involved the preparat i on of a guide outlining a comprehe nsive strategy fo r front -l i ne educators co nfr on t ed wi t hst ude nt s whoare us ers of alc ohol andother drug s or Who come fr omhomesWhere substance abuse is ill pro b lem. The gu ide discusses the roles of teach e rs and counsellors as inter ve n ors. It overviewsthe scope oftheprobl e mandalsooffers suggest ions for the identificationof problemsand int e rvention. An annot a ted bibliographyofse l ect ed resourcesis also offere d.

iii

ACDl OWLBDGEMEMTB

I wi sh to express my sinc e r e thanks to Or. Ga ry Jeffery, Supervisor of ~is int e r ns hi p repor t, for his suppo r t and assistanc e indevisingand completing theinternshippropo s a l and fina 1report.

I wouldlike to acknow l edgeGaryRobe rts andthe st affof the Alcoho l andDr ug Dependency Co mmi s s i o n tor thewarmand supp ort ive manner in whichtheyacc ommoda tedme duri ngtheinterns hip. I also wish to express thank s to Mrs. Donna Reimer and the staf f of tho Works Skills Evaluatio n Programat the General Hosp ital'S L. A.

Hiller Centre for thesuppo r t and enc ourageme nto[~eredme duri nq Illyplacementwiththem.

Special thanks tofamily and fellow Educational PsyChology gradua te stUdents for the i r ki ndnessand enc ourage ment duringthe past year.

iv

1'ABLE OJ' CONTENTS

INTERNSHIPCOXPOHZlIT Rationaleforan In t erns hi p

Crit eria for Selecti ngInterns hipSetting In ttJr n s h l pGOal s as Esta bli s h e dbyFac u lty De scriptionof InternshipSettinq Spe ci fi cGo alsof Inter nshi p Supervi s i onand Eval uatio n of Int ern Summar yof Activ it ies

Out come of Inte rnship RESEARCH COMPONENT

Ra t ion a lefor Resea rch Component Resea rc h Report

ItADDRESSINGALCOHOL AND DRUGRELAT ED PROBLEMSOF YOUTHINTERVENTIONSTRATEGIES FORTEACHERSANDCOUNSELLO RS·

Whe n ThiB Guidewi l lLea d You Drug s andAl coho l Use inschoo l s

AParapecti ve on the Use and IDp sct ofDr u g s and Alcohol

Schoolas a Pointof Inte r v en tion SchoolBas fldInterventionStrateg ies

IndirectForms of Intervention eurrlculWll or Group BasedApproache s Community and Peer Based Interv e nt i on

Page

, .

13 17 19

"

as 28

28 28

"

"

"

JJ JJ J4 35

Teacher Based Intervention

Pa g e

'6

Recognizing the Effects of Drugs

and Alcohol in the Classroom 37

Directly Working With Children at Risk 38 Teacher as aReferral and Support Agent 42

Counsellor Bafled Int.ervention 43

Identification and Assessment 44

Establishing Therapeutic Rel.lt!onships and Resource Networks

Group Support

Team Building and ongoing Education Ethical and Practical Issues In Closing

REFERENCES

APPENDI:X A - DIVISIONS OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG DEPENDENCY COMMISSION APPENDIX B- DRUGS, ALCOHOL AND THE SCHOOL

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Role of Counsellor Rols of Teacher Causes and Effects of AlcoholandDrugs APPENDI:% C - RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN ADDC

LENDING LIBRARY

APPENDI. 0 - ANOPEN LETTER TO MY TEACHER

vi

46 47

48 50 50 51

58

61 ei 64

68

72

PART I INTERNSHIP COMPONENT Rationale tor aD Intern.hip

The Educational psych o l ogy int e r ns hi p opt ion offered by Me moria l Unive rs ity of Newfoundland is desig ne d to provide an oppor t u ni ty tor an intern's profe ss ional sk i l ls to be further develope d and def ined in a supe rvis ed se tting. The int e r n s h i p placeme nt 1s int e nde d to providetheinte r n an opport uni t yto app ly andevaluate theme th od s and theories learned dur i ng the mas t er's pr ogram . The placement also aids the intern to prepa r e fo r a futurerole asa sc ho o l guidanc e co u nsel l o r. Th e supervision and di r e ction rece i ve d fromthe settingshould prov i dethe int e rnwith valuab lefeedba c k and helpcontribute to her lev e l of compet ence and skil ls .

criteria havebeen se t down in the Faculty of Educa tion to ens ur e the appropriateness of the internship as an adj un ct to academicand profe s sionaltraini nq for GuidanceCoun sell ors.

1. It can commence only after asa t is f a c t o r y performanceis achievedin an approved practicum.

2. It commences only after suc c ess f u l co mple t ion of all course work (including practicum)required forthedegree program as defined in the UniversityCalendar.

J. First consideration will be given to candidates who have had little experience in the working milieu Which they will enter.

4. Interested students mustsubmi t and have approve dby the Department a formal internship proposal, includingamong other points. a statement ot professiona l goal s and expectationsfor the internship.

5. An intern must be enrolled full-timeduringthe ti me of his/her in t e r ns hi p. He / s he may not receivereimbur s e ment

for se rvices rend ereddur i ng the internshipbut will be eligiblefor fello....shipsand assistantships as provided by university re gula tio ns.

(De pa r t me nt of Educationa l Psychology , Int e r ns h i p Program, 1975).

In additionto compl e tingthe internship placement, anint e r n must complete a r-aeeaz-ch component as a pa r t of the overall experience . Itis nOrlllally completedwhilein the setting. This component, which takes the form of a di s c r e t e document, wa s comp l e t e d and isfou nd in PartII ofth i s report.

criteria tor salecting'.Intern.bipSett ing'

The fol lowingsix factors mustbe considered before choosing an internshipsetting. These inc lude:

1. Thequalityofpr o f e s s i onal supervision.

2. Thequalityof le a r n ing opp ortunitiesand experienc e s.

3. Th erelevancyto, andusefulne s s of,suc:hexperiences in th e actual setti nginwhichthe inter n ult i ma t el y expects towo r k .

4. The availability of tilDe for full-timeinvolvementof tile int e r nfor a minimumofthi rte e n consecutive weeks. 5. Availa bility ofaqualified fieldsupervisor(In-site.

6. Readyacc ess tothe universit ysupervisor.

(De pa rtme nt of Education a l psychology, Internship Program, 1975, p. 2) .

laten.bip Goal• • • Z.tabli.ba4 by !'aculty

The pur po se of an in t e r nSh i p is to give thO!.intern an opportuni t yto expa nd his/he r counselling sk i ll sand topr ovi d e a profes s iona l experience.

The inte r ns h ip hl;llps theint e rnme e t goa l s including:

1. The develop mentofeee pe eencte s for eac h traine e based on his /her needs, previous exper iences, and future vocat ionalplans.

2. The gainingof practical expe riences thatwi ll br i ngint o focu sthetheo r etic altrainingrece ivedduri ng thefo rma l par t ofthe progra m.

3. Thegai n ing of pract i cal expe r ien c es thatwi ll enab le th e trainee and the department to evalu a t e the tr a i ne e's abili tyto ef fecti velywor k in hisor herchosen field.

4. The provision of opportuniti e s for the trainee to evaluate his or her personal behav iour moda li t i e s and work toward making anynecessarychange s.

s. The prov is i onof feedback from the internsh i psett ingto the department regardingstrengths and weaknessesof its studentsso that programimpr o v e me nt sca n beimp leme nted . 6. The development of reeeeren and problem-s olving skills appropriateto the needs of the studentandthe se t ting, co nsideringthe nature of his or her placement and hi sor her vocationalplans.

(Department of Educational Psychology, Inte rns hip Program. 1975)

Descriptionot Intern.bip .etting'

This intern chose to combine two settings for her placement:

Alc o hol and Drug Dependency Commission (ADDC) and the Work. Sk.ills EvaluationProgram at the LeonardA. Miller Centreot the General Hospital Corporation. The ADDC was chosen to help fulfil the internship experiential goals of further enhancing skills in program development and research and program delivery. The wo rk Ski ll s Evaluation Program was chosen to help fulfil the int e rn 's experiential goal to develop further skills in psych ometri c assessment, report writing and interpretations, and voca tional couns e l l i ng . The vocational counselling and assessment related expe r i e nc e s would complement the previous experience cr theint e r n . The philosophY of the ADDC is that alcohol and other dru g dependenciesaffect every area of the individual's life. The ADDC is comprised of a number of divisions including Program Services , Education and Prevention, Research and Evaluation and Admi ni s t r a t i on . The intern was principally involved wi t h the Divisionof Education and Prevention.

ThisDivision is r.esponsible tor the development or program and information resources and consultation on public policyissues on behalf of the Commission. The Division is also responsible for staff development and training within ADDC and the development and coordination of training in addictions for external agencies. services provided by this Division include:

(1) coordination of training and education programs for the Commission;

(2) coo r d i na t i o n of the Allied Youth Program;

P) library se r v i ce s for thestaf f andge ne ra l public;

(4) assistinq in the development of alcohol pUb licpolicyand (5) invo l v ement in development of school serv i ces, drug aware n es sand commun ityac tionplans. (Refe rto Appendix Afor a de s c ri pt i o n of the respon sibil i t i e s andservices of fe r e d bytheot he r threedivis i o ns of ADDC).

The Miller Centre is thelocationof the Ge ne ra l Hospi ta l 's Wo r k Skills Eva luation Program which prov ides an outpatient vocationa l asse ssment service for cl i e nt s re f erred because of physical, emotional or learningdifficultiesor othe r factorsthat impose limitat ions on emp loya bil i t y. The Progra m employs a multidisci pl i na r y te a mconsistingof Psyc hologi st, socia l Worker andOc c upa tio na l Therapist. This core group ha s ac cessto other allied he a l t h ser vi c e s of the hospital (e.g ., speech Patho logy, Diete tics ) .

Servi c es cu r re nt l}' ut fer ed , sepa r a t e l y or jointly, by the Program are as follo....s:

1. Full WorkSkillsEyaluati on . Thisinclude s Socia lWor k, Psychology and OccupationalTherapy perspectiv e s . The Object i vehereisto assist the client and theref e r ring agency in developinga vocational plan that isin keepin g with the client's physical, intQllectua l and amotiona l st a tus .

2. voc a tional con sultation . In case s where repo r ts ar e ava ilablQfrom earlier as sessments ,theteam maybeable

12 to provide a bri ef consultation to integrate earl i e r findings and develop a plan for vocati onalpl a c e ment . Screening interviews may be held with the client and si g ni fi c a nt others, to claritythe service s requ ired. J. Cou n s e l l in g Services . Short termpersonal or vocationa l

counselling ma y be available ,toas s ist insuch areas as advoc acyon behalfof the client withvariouscounselling se rvi c e s or vocational programs , pers on a l support, resourcein f o rm a t i o n and careerguidance.

4. ~ho19gyAsse s ~. Forind ividu a ls not req uiringan appraisal of physical limitations, a psy c ho l ogi c al assessment may becarried out in areassuchas:traini ng potential, learning problems, cogn i t ive level and aptitUde, and interest profile s. The psy ch olog i st also co n d uc t s a vocational explorationwi t h the client, to ass istin identifying sui t a b le vocationalgo al s. 5. occupational TheraPYAsses~.nt. An assess me nt of th e

level of limitationsplacedon an individ ual byinj ur y or disability may be provided .by the occupat ion a l Th e r a p i s t , who )llay also prescribe physic al aid s and adaptations, to assist in work or activities of daily living.

6. Job Site Analysis. An Occupational Therapist maybe provided to assess the physical demands of aspe ci fic job. Modifications to the work envlronment may be

1J recommended to allow the client to return to an existing job.

7. WorkHarden1ng. If a clientap pe a r s capabl eof return ing to pre-injury employment but requires further conditioning or strengthening, a two to eightwee k"Work Hardening" program may be arranged throughoc cu pa tional Therapy.

8. Job Stat10D Placement. A client may be placed in a specific workarea for a two week assessment ofhand s-on jobsk i l l s (e.g. ,in maintenance, reception, sec ckrc c n , beautyshop, accounting).

sp8oifioQoahof %nt.rn.hi p

Thisinternid e nt i f i ed the following goalsforhar- intern ship . Included with a statement of these goals is a descr i p tio n of acti v i t ie s undertaken to meet these goals. The intern sought to:

1. Further develop skills in the area of program development, delivery and research. Tb.is accomplished through work at the ADDC involving assessment of the use of alcohol and drugs by youthand based on this developinga guide to assist educatorsin the handling of student alcohol and drug related problems. An extensive reviewof the literature onthis BUbject; was undertaken.

2. Further develop skills in the area of psychol ogical assessment and report preparation. This ....asaccomplished

throuqh the intern' s invo lve me nt in the Work Skills EvaluationPr09raJ:lat the Mille rCentre. Int~ i sset ting the intern had the opportunity to be c ome involved in psychometric assessments and the as soc iated re port pr e pa ra tio n and therapeut ic prog r amid e nti f ic a t i on and de v e l opme n t . The intern administer ed the follo....ing psychological tests to client s in the Work Skills Eval ua tio n Program at theMiller Ce ntre..

-wideRange Achievement Test (WRAT) -Test nfAdult Basi cEducation (TABS ) -caeeerAbilityPlacementsurvey (CAPS) -CanadianAdultAchieve1l1ent Test(CAAP ) -Safran Students ' InterestInve ntory -Reading-free Vocational Interest Inventory -Wech slerAdult Intelllqence Sc a le - Re vis e d(WAIS-R) In additi onto administeringtests,the internsat inonthr ee te sts bei ng administered bythe ot he r psychol ogi sts at the Work Skills Evaluation Program, namely the Differential Apt i tude Test (OAT),the Peabody IndividualAchievementTest-Revised (P IAT-R )and th e Woodcock JohnsonTest-Revised (WJ-R). In order to get an appr ec iationof testingon clients a psychologistin theProg ram ad mi nist e r ed tho! GeneralAptitudeTe s t Battery(GAT B)to theothe r psyc ho l og i s t s and thisintern.

Th i s intern had the opportunity to read psycholo g i cal assessment s prepared by the other psYchologists and unde r su pervision did preparQcne report.

Th i s intern also attended ....eekly team mee t i n gs attendedby soc ia l workers,occupational therapistsand the psycholog i s t s. By

15 attendingthesemeetings the intern was able to get an appreciation of thete a mapproach.

3. Develo p an incr ea.sed under sta nding of the effect of alcoh olismanddrugusageonyouth andth e i r families . Thiswas ac c ompl i shedthr ough

Cal Fornal and informal interaction withprofessionals at theADDe.

(bl The intern's independentstudying inth i s area.

(e) Discussion wi t h school Boar d and staff at the Depart ment ofEducationon schoo l policies relating to use of alcoho l and drugsby youth.

(d) Reviewingschool policies onth e use of alcohol and drugs by you thin other pr ovi n c e sna me l y , ontario , Nova sc otia , Saska tche wan andBritishColumbia.

(8) Readingof annual re ports onthe r;ervicesprovided bythe agency.

4. Deve lopa workin g know ledge and appreciation for the kinds of conc e r n s people face when the y have to leave theirplac eof emp loymentdueto injury andhave to find nelo' employment. Th iswas accomplished th r o ug h.

(a) Disc us s i on with. professionals at the Work Skills Eva luation PrCXJram regardinq the kinds of client concerns the y deal with in their as s e s s me nt s of client needs .

(b) 'Inte r v i ewswith cl ient s refe r red toth e program.

10 (c) Independent studying of books and journals on the

sUbject(Power, 1984;LOWlllan, 1991).

5. Developan increased awareness of the servicesavail able to meet clientne e d s at the ADDC and the Work skills Evaluation Program. This was accomplished through dis cu ssionwith professionallJ at the ADDCand Work Skills Ev a l u a tio n Program regarding the kindsof service s th e y offer.

6. Further develop skillsin case presentation andins e rvi c e presentation. This was accomplished through (a) Attendingand participating in teammeetings atthe

Work Skills Evaluation Program.

(b ) Preparing one inservice presentation at the Work Skills EvaluationProgram.

In meeting this goal this intern presented four artic le s in the area of assessmentto the psychologists in meetings at the Miller Centre. The main pointsotthese articles were su mma riz e d and ar s c u e s ed,

During placement at the ADoe this int e r n also pre s ented a program to parents on alcohol and drug use with anoth er sta f f me mb e r . This program was called "Smooth Sailing.II Thi s is a parent drug education program designed to meet the needs of conc e r n e d parents who wish to talk with their pre-adolescent chi l d r e n about drugs. This intern presented parts of' th i s programj

led discussionsand answered questions.

17 Thisinternatt end edthreeprofess ional in -serv i c etrai ning sessio ns duri ngtheinternship. The yver eentitled:Add icti onsand Youth; Fn ily The r ap y \lith Substa nceUs ing Fami lies; lind True Color s on pe r s onal it y type•• Theint e rn als ovisited anopen house at the car-eer Planning Cent r e at Mellor l a l university of Newfo und la nd on the progra••be i nq offeredbythatdivisi on.

7. Evaluate the inte rn ' s peeeene profe s s ional ski l l s and work towards increasingtheintern' s sk i lls in the area or counse lling. This was accomplishedthrough

<a> Mai ntena n ce of an accurate daily log of the intern 'sexper i e nce.

(b ) Consultationvi th theHeld supervisors conc erni ng the intern'.vork.

(c) Fo rmal evaluations of the intorn ' s work by the superv isorat theMi 1 ler Centre andlODe.

Bupe r v.i. i oll.and.ZVal\l&tio ll.ot :Ill.hrn

Th e responsibility tor th e superv ision ot the inter n vas shared by th eFacultyot Educat ion andthe twoplace ments , namel y the ADDC and Work Skin s Evaluation Program. The supervision or the inte rn wasthe re s po ns ib il i ty of theUniversitysup erviso r,Dr . G.Jeffery,the Fie ldSuper vi s oratADDC,Mr.Ga r y Robe rts,andthe supeevLser~:tthe WorkSkillsEvalu a tion Proqram,Ms.Do nna Reimer . Field SuperVisors both met the Ed uca t i on criteria which inc lu des:

1. Ho ldsa Ha s t er' sOQgree .

18 2. Meets the minllllWiof 2 yea r sexperience inthefield . 3. Is invol ve d tu lltime inthe pl a c e me nt setting.

4. Is de e medtohavesuf f i c i enttimeto con sult regUl arly withthe grad ua t e student .

The Unive r sity Su p e r visor meets the fol lowi n g crite ri a. Th i s perlilon:

L Is Pro fes sIonallytrained in the are a ofguidance lind cou nse ll i ng and ind i c a t es an interest in counse llor training.

2. Hassuff i c i e nt tillle to consult regularlywith thein te r n.

3. Is deemedable toco n s u l t with the fiel d superv is ors and to directthe preparation and eval ua tion ofthereporton intern activities.

4. wi l l be supervising nomo r e tha n one int ern durinqa semester in whIch he has tull -tille te a ching responsibil i ties.

(Department of Educationa l Psychology , Inte rn sh IpProgra., 1975)

supervil!lil':'n of the intern involvedthe follo wi nq : 1. Reqularsupervis ionsessionsby supervisors atthe ADDC

and Miller Centre on a weeklybasis.

2. The Jnt e r n lIlaintaininq a daily log ot each day'S activities at each agency.

3. The intern llnd each tield supervisor meeting wi t h Dr . Jefferytwice during the internship to fOI'lll.allyevaluat e

19 theint e r n ' s performance ane accomplishment ofgo a l s as set out in the proposal.

4. Weeklycontact was maintained between this intern andthe Un i v e r s i t y SuperviBor concerningplacement issues and the research proposal.

9UlD1l1ary of Activiti ••

During the placelnent with theADDCthisintern had ava riety of experiences. At the ADDC about half thetirne was spent doing r-esearc h and the other half researching and writingthe st r a teg y document. The research involved literature reviews at boththe ADDClibrary and the QueenElizabeth II Library. This inv olved revi ewing jou r n als, ar t i c l e s , books and alcohol and drug statements fr om other provinces. The intern also had frequent formal and in fo rma l di sc u s si on s with staft memberson the services offer e dby ADDe. The Provincial Department of Education and the Roman Ca t holi c SchoolBoard for st.John's were contacted to determineif a school policyon alcohol and drug usage by youth existed in Ne wf ound l and and Labrador. Discussions took place withthe R.C.

Boardrepresentative rega r di ng the integration of drug andalcohol related inf o rm atio n into the school curriculum . Two one-day conferenceson alcohol and drug usage were attended and the intern had the opportunity to co-lead a workshop for parents on communicating with their children about alcohol and drug related problems. Regular weekly supervision by Mr.Gary Roberts, Fi e l d

20 supervisorand :::r. Jeffery, universitySuperv isor.tookplace. 'rwc formal eva l ua t i o n meetingsalso took place .

WhileW'ith the WorkSkills Evaluat ionProgram at th eGe ne ra l Ho s pi t a l ' s Leonard A. HillerCentre the intern was part of ateam consi sting of psychologists, occupational the ra p i s ts and social ve exe rs• Regular weekly team meetings wore attended as well as case conferenc esonclients . The intern administeredandscored5 WRAT,6 TABS, 2 Safran Student InterestInventory, 1Rea d i n gFr ee Vocat iona l Interest Inventory, 2 CAPS, 2 eAAP and

J WAI S-R. On one occas ionthe intern wasobserved admin iste ring th eWAI S -Rby a st a f f psychologistand feedbackwas rec eived.

Therewereseveral opportunitiestoobserv eotherte sts be i ng admi nis t e r ed and scored. These included the woodc ock Johns o n Di f f e r e n t ia l Aptitude Test,BentonVisua l Retentionand PlAT. The Gen era l AptitUdeTest Batterywas also admi ni s te re d toth i s inte r n as well asto the other three psychologists. Thi swasdone to gi v e a better appreciationof the effectsof testingon clients.

AttheHospital the internhad the opportunitytoread in the ar e aofvc c acfenar andca r e e r assessment. Included inthis rea d i ng were: A Gujd@ to VQcaUoDlll Assl!i!Ssment by P. Power (19 84 ) and Cli ni c al Practise of Career Assessment · Interest Ability and pe rs o na l it y by R. Lowman (1990). 'rne intern did one inser vi ce pr ese nt a t i on to the psychologists on staff. For thissessi on ,the in t e r n chose a sample of four articles in the area of ass e s s ment which were deemed to address issues of currentconc ern to th e st aff. These articleswere summarizedandtheir implications fo r

21 the setting were discussed. In presenting these articles two background books inthi s areawere al soread,na mely,~by R.J. Steinberg (1987) and framesof Mind: The Theory of Multip le In t e l li g e n c e byH.Gar d ne r (1985). Is s u es fromthese works ....ere integrated into the presentation.

Th is intern al s o par ticipatedinone inservicesessionoffered at the KillerCen tre,ent it led"True Co l or s ". Anopen houseatth e CareercounsellingDivision at Memorial Universityof Newfoundland was also attended . Opportuni ties we r e alsollvailable to discuss formally and informal ly pr o f e e s lona l is s ue s with staff, the services available to clients, pr oble ms enc ount e r ed doing assessments . etc.

The internalso par ticipat e dinan"i n-hous e^ttprojectaimed at gathering informatio n ne ede d tohelp th e un! t staff decide on Whether or not they wouldadopttheWoodc ock Johnson Battery. The psychologis t s compared the sco res onthe Woodcock Johnson with those on the WRAT,TAPS, etc. tothe det ermine the consistency0;' scoresondiffere n t tes ts.

The intern also had th e opportuni ty to visit and become familiar with the Pai nClinic at the Mi lle r Centre. A st a ff psychologist explained the Pr ogram andtheservicesof f ere d. Th is Clinicoffe r s a5we ek programto Workers' Compensatio nCommission clients. As a part of the Program, clients are offered recommenda t ionslor copingwith theirdisabilit i e sandhe lp i n g with dailyliv ing skills. Thegoal of theprogram is to help clients returntoworkitpos s i ble .

22 The intern was active in doing clinical observationduring test sessions. Thisinformationwas inc l uded i:.final reports . One fina l report was preparedbythe intern under thesupe r vi sion of a staff psychologist. Regular supervisionwas receivedfromMs.

Donna Reimer, Field Sup e rv i s o r at the work skills Evalu ation Pr og r a m and f'comDr.Jeffery, University Supervisor. Two formal evaluations were also completed. This involved a meeting be t ween the uni vers itysupervisor, fieldsupervisor and the intern . In thi s meeting the intern's progress was assessed relative to the ini t i a l goals of theint e r ns hi p.

OuteD•• of ZDhrnehip

Most internships take place in a single Re t ti ng. Thi s int e rnshi p was atypical in thatit wasa jointplacement,namel yat the ADDC and the Work Skills Evaluation Programat the Miller Centre. Due to the intern having had counselling and therapeutic tr a i n i ng prior to her entering the graduate program, emphasi s in the internshipwas placed on developinq other Skills,namel y, ones intesting, research and program development.

Overa l l the internshipwas deemed vP.r.y succ e s sful inthat the intern further dClveloped the targeted skills. In addition, the intern gained skills and experience in other areas. Experiencewas gained in working as part of both clinicaland research development teams. First hand exposure to the roleot a psychologist and to professional issues and eth~calsta.:1dards was also gained. While theinte r n would certainly roc il'1mend these parti cularplacement s to

23 other inter n s, it is fel t that a half tillloplace me nt atthe Millar Centreisnot idea l. Becauseclientscometo the Centre for five day block.sit was dif !ic ul t to follo w aclien t thr ough the entire evaluationcycle. No prob lemsrslat inq to the bl oc k i ng of time were experie nced wi t h theADDe.

Durin gtheplacement at th e ADOCit was an nouncedthat the Commissionwoul d di s cont i nueas anindepe n dentorgan ization . The Commission's sarv Lcea would nowbe prov idedthrough the Public Health serv.i.ces Divi sio n of the Depar t ment of Health. This resultedin elimina tion of positions. Because of th i s statfat the AODC weu goingth rougha trying period . Whilethe interndoes not feel thi s in any way dimi nished the quali tyof thepla c eme n t ,it was certainl y a source of stress fo r some staff members. The intern fe l t a need to be sensi tive to andsupport ive of staff me mbers at times. Poten tia l beneficial experiencein seeinghow such ch an geaf f ects indl vi dua lswa s gai ned.

Ingene ral, it isthis in tern's opinion that th e internshi p option isa verybene ficial one. I t allows the interntobecome fa mil iarwith agenc i es in th e cOQ un i t y and, moreimportant ly, it allows thein tern to fur t he r dev e l op expe r tise in variousaspects of counselli n g ,such as basic interp erso n alskills, assessment, testing . It isfelt thatan inte rn ship re a di e s thepe r s on, upon graduation, tobegi nthepractise of psycholoqy.

Th e researchcomponent ofthe inte r ns hipgivesth e intern an oppor tunity todevelop ill mor e in depth k:nowledgein anareaof interest. This co mpone n t is certainlyreceesenee eby th is intern

"

si nc e it allows the further devel opmentot researc h skil l s and prov ides an opportunitytoenq llqein anactiv itythat~ouldbe of dire ctbenetit to thelIg:ency.

OVerall, the intern found the experience re....arding . I t pro v idedan enormousoppo r tuni t y for a wide range of expe r i e n c e s and linoppo r tu nit y to deve lop a range ot beneficialprOfessional skills.

25

PART II ResEARCHCOMPONENT Ration al. forR••••rcbCOlllponent

In theGulde l i nea for an internship, eachinte r nisreq ui r ed to unde rtak e a situati on-based research problem duri ng the placement. The res earch is to deal with a proble mof th e typ e norma llyco nfro nted by a pr actising coun s ellor in that set ting (Departme nt ofEd ucatio na l psych o l ogy , Internshipprogram 1975).

In thisinternshipthi srequirement wasme t bythe prepa ra t ion of a document to be us ed by the ADDe. The comp l eted document titled "Addres s ing Alco ho l and Drug Re lated Pr obl ems of Youth:

In t erv e n t i o nstrat e g ieuforTe a chers and Cou ns e llor s" fol lows.

Thispr o du ct gr e w outof an inte r est of th e inter nand a need identif ied by ADDe. Th e overallgo al of this co mpon e n t wa s to de velo p an in fo rma tio n and support pack ag e wh i c h the ADDC could offer to educa t ors tohelp them deal withstudents wh o come from homesWheretherearealcoholand drug problems or tohelp students whothe mse l ve s have alcohol or dr ug pr ob lems. Th i s pro jec t was undert a ken becau s etheuse ofalcoho landdr ugs ha s amajorimpact on you ng people ' s li v e s and often ontheir performanc e in schoo l.

The us e of alcoh ol by you th hind ers their ability to de al positively withthemany andco mp lexdeve LcpmentiaI tasks of late childhood and early adolescence. The negat ive consequen c e of alcoh o l use,part iCUlarlythe associa t i onwithproblemdrink i ng and problembeh a viou r, underliethe need forearly identif i c a ti on of youth with alc oh ol and drug abus e probl e ms and the need tor

ae strateg iesto prevent thereus e of the s e drugs by youth (Department ot: Hea l t h and Human Servic e s, 19S7).

sinceyouthspend ag-reatde alofthe i r time in school, the sch o olca n pote ntiallyplayacri t i c a lroleinthe identificat ion, prevention and amel iora tion of subs ta nce libuse and re la ted problems . Teachers and Guidance Cou ns ellors areth e frontline and thus have important roles to play in thisprocess. The attached document out lines th eproble m andoffe r spract icalst r a tegies tha t teachers andcounse l lor s can use inthe ir ....ork with yout h .

The st r ateg y docu mentgrew out of a compr ehe n s i ve review of literatu r e de al i nqwiththe caus e s andeffectsof alcoho l anddrug usage by youthand the i r familie s. St atistics on the extentof dr ug lind IIlc oh ol usebybothCana dianand Newfoundlandyouthwere gathe r e d. Literat ur efocusi nqoninterventionlind e seeeeeenerol e s of te3.c he r s lind counsell o r s vas als o re v i e we d. In carryinqout this reviewit vas foundth at the r eisa large body of literature add r e s dng the situation of and issues relate d to Child ren of Alcoholics(COAlS) . There isasOClewhat smaller bod y ofli t e r a tu r e dealing wit h childre n of drug usersandthe actu al use ofdrugs and alcohol by yoUth. Be caus e of this situation , most of the stra teq i es sugq eetedin thedocunent;areba sed onresearchdealing with COA's. The researchdoc ume nt thatfollows focuse s largely on thre easpectsofalco ho l anddrug userelativeto the sch oo l. It out li nes resources for ass i stinq and su ppo rt i nq COA's. It also brie fl ydisc usses prevention programstarqe t ingthe ove r a llschool populat ion. Br i e f atte ntio n is gi ven tothe occasional use of

27 alcohol and drugs by children. Because al c o ho l and substa nce abusersare not directly dealt with in the school,this area isnot toc u s e d upon. School policies on alcohol anddrug use by youthin ot he r provinces were also reviewed. These docwnents included Alc oho l and prug Poli c ies' A Guide for Sc h o o l Boards in Ontar i o

(19 88 ) .~ussiQnPaper Towards anAlcoho l and Drugpo licy tor

Sas k a tc hewa n schools (1988) and schoolprug Policyand Pr ocedu res Manual inNovOScotia (1989). The strategydocument al sogrewout of con versationwi ththe DirectorofEduc a t i o n and Prevention and ot h e r st a f f at ADDe.

Much of the in i t i a l research for this document wasdono.during the intern'spla cementat the Anoe from April 27, 1992 to Jul y 10 , 1992. The final draft was prepared after the completionof the fieldcompo ne nt of the internShip.

28 a•••• rcb.aport

"ADDRES SING ALCOHOLAND DRtlQ RBLATZD IlROBLEJt8orYOUTHz IHTERVEN1'IOH ITRATZOIZ8PORTEACHZR.AJft)CO(J)fSELLORS"

n ar. Thh Ou14_ WU l L••4 1'0\1

This pa peroutline s II compr ehensive st rategyfor front line ed uc ato r s co nf r o nte d with students who areusers of alc oho l and other drugs. I toU ers suggestio ns on specific, individualiz ed helpthata tea ch er or cou nse l lormayotter tostuden ts. Italso outlines sugges tions andst ra t e g i es tor wor ki ngwith young pe opl e whose lives are being dire ctlyor indirectly influenc ed bythe exce s siveUs e or mi suseof alc oholandoth erdrug s .

Th is paper Ini t illlllypr esent s an ove rvi e wof the sc opelind illlpa ct of drugand al cohol useas itrGlates to theyoun g peo ple In our schools. Anove rv i ewof school basedint erve ntionapproache s is also off e red. The lIlai n foc us of the pa P'l r is adiscus s i on of therole ofthetea c he r andcounse llor asintervenors....ithst udents exp e r i e ncing drugand alcoholrelatedpro b l e ms .

Thi s project was unde r t a ke n in response to widel y he l d conc e r ns about the bpa c t of alc ohol and drugs on the lives of youth. Thispaper will out line prac tic a lstrate giesthatteachers and co uns e llo r s canuse. Many of the suggestedst r a t e gi e soutlined are derivedfrolll the extensive literaturedealing ....ith Childrenof Alcoholics(COA's). SODlederive fromstudiesof childrenHvingin hODlos where drug abuse exists. Until add it i o na l res e arch is avai l a b l e intervention strategies deri ved from alcohol relate d studies are recolllDlendedtor chl1dre'1living in homes where drug abu s e Is fOUnd.

29 Drug_ and Alcobol u•• in Scbool_

A Pers p ec t i ve OD theUse and Impactof pruasandAlcob,o l Drugs and alcohol use by yo u t his oneof the majo r con ce r ns fa c ing educators toda y. Statist icson the extent of theusage by youth help to put these co n c e r n s in perspective.

In Ne....foundlandyo u t h consumean averageof 4.03 drink s per we ek. This is well above the Canadian averageof 3.3drink s pe r week. MaleNewfoundlandyouth, aged 15-24, drink more freq uen tly thanfemale youth and in greate r quantity. Maleyouth drink3.79 drink s per occasi on whereas female youth drink 2. 02 drinks per occa sion . Th i s age group tenda t",drink ecee alcohol peroc c asio n inba r s or taverns than the average Canadianyouth, 4.8drinks in compa r i s o n to3.9 drinks. The primaryreasonfor drinking is tobe sociable (National Alcohol and Other Drug Survey , Healt h and Wel f a re Canada, 1990).

In terms of other drugs,1.S\ of Nevfoundland youth age 17-19 ha v e usedcrack/cocaine, while ".2\ ofyou t h , 15-24yearsof uqe, report having used LSD at some time in their l ives and 1.6\

indicate they arA current users (National Alcoholand Ot h e r Drug Sur vey , He~lthand Welfar e Can ada, 1990).

In Canada, the Health Promot ion survey indicated tha t the prevalenceof cannabis and cocaine usein 1985 ....as highest among the youngest age group surveyed (15 to24 years of age).

Excessivealcoholand drug usage will have an imp acton the in d ivi d u a l performance. Insecurity increases as the al co h o l Ic becom e s les s predIctable and less reliable. Financial res ource s are divertedto pay for alcohol, to pay for problemsarisi ng from

30 drinking, to pay for al c ohol related medical expenses and to compensatefor lost or decreased income arising from absenteeism or unemploY1llent. As the alcoholic becomes more isolated and sear-ceneeree,feelings of rejection mount among family membersiin order to protect the alcoholic from externalcondemnationand to pro t e c t themselves from further embarrassment, the family may is o l a t e itself from externalcontacts (Mapes, Johnson and Sandler, 1984) •

Al c o h o l and drug usage may be associatedwith a numberof risk fa c t or s. Among the serious consequences ofal c oh ol use onyoung people, the most devastating is death and injury fromautomobile and other accidents. Even a smallamount of alcohol can mean a se nsory or judgementimpairment capable ofca us i ngin j u ryor eve n deathduring an otherwiseplayful activity such as skateboarding, biking and boating. Alcohr.lldr i nk i ng allll:mg yo ut h can spiral into a series of social problema such as poor scholasticperformance, disruptionof the learning environment,disruption of famil ylife, delinquency- juvenile, crime and other problems with the police

(The Addiction Letter, 1990 ) .

There are other implications of early substance abuse. Research indicates thatearlyus e of alcohol or any psychoactive su b s t a nc e is associatedwith greater invo l ve me nt in drug use and greater frequency of use (Mills andNoyes, 1984; Fleming, Kellam and Brown, 1982). Use of alcohol deeeeeaee concentration, attention and memory retention, contributing to a loss of achievement and goal orientation. The impairDlent of cognitive abilities affects thought processes, judgement and reasoning

Jl abiliti es90 criti ca l to acad e mic achievement and the de ve l o pme nt of problem Bolving skille. Alcohol use can interf ere wit h emotional mat ur a tio n and the development of coping ski lls in adolescence (Departmentof Healthand Human Services, 1987) . Drug us e r s Dlay enter adult roles of marriage andwor k pre maturely and without adequate socioemotional growth. They often exp e rie nce gr ea te r fa.ilure in theseadultroles (Newcomb and Bentley, 19 8 9 ).

Acc o r d i ng to MacDona ld (1984) pediatricians se e young people forseveral health relatedconsequences of alcoholand drug abus e . The s e problems inc l ude fatigue, so r e throat, cough, ches t and abdominal pain, headaches and school or behavioural proble ms.

A significant number of youth in drug treatment prog r a ms report thinking of or attempting suic i de prior to ente ring tre atment(HUbbard,R.,Cavanaugh,E.,Rachal,J.,Schleng er, W. V.

andGinzburg, H.• 1985).

Thus, alcohol and drug usage has a major impacton someyo ung person s' lives. There are two key tasks confronti ng the educ a t i ona l system. One is related to the recognition or identiticationof children experiencing drug or alcohol relate d problems. Tho second relates to what the schoolsys t emcando to help youth with these problems. This document outline s sel e c ted approaches and intervention strategies that can be used to addr ess both these tasks.

J2 SChool fls ill Point of Interyention

The school is a most appropriate se t t i ng for an ea r ly identificationend intervention program. Most young pe ople spe nd thegr e a t e s t amountof the irwaking hours at schools (J a yne s and Rigg, 1988).

Schools have an obligation to create an environmentwh i c h is providing alternativesto the continued use of alcohol and drugs amo n g yo u t h (Ander s o n , 1987). In the 1984rev i sion of ~ Public Edu cation to r Newf oundland and Labrador, educa t i o n is de fined as "the process by whIch human beings are enabled to achi ev e their fullest and best development both as priva te individuals and as members of humansociety". Forsome stud e n ts , to deveLcp to their fullest potential, the problems with al coho l and drugs need to be dQalt with. Educatorscan helpsu c hstude nts. Acc o r di ng to Anderson (1987) there is ampla precedentforschools tobecome involvedin health problems that threaten la r genumb e rs of yo ung people as well as the community as a whole.

School interventions can takeva r i ou s fo rms . These can be ranked on a continuum tromindirect approaches (e.g. , pamphlet s and brochures) throughillcurriculum or groupbas e d activit ies to more direct, ind i v i d ua liz e d (Le., couns elling) approache s.

(Educators seeking additional intonation are encouraged to consult the Annotated Bibliography entitled Drugs, Alcohol and theSchoo l prepared by the author and tound in Appendix B).

Some concerns have been raised as to the optimal types of school interventions. Research on the success ot drug abuse preventionprograms has indicated that there is little consistency

J3 as to their impact (Leukefeld and BUkoski, 1991) . This inconsistency can derive from several factors including st ud y design and methodology. Goodstadt (as cited in Pellow and Jengeleski.1991) in a recent analysis of the effectiveness of drug education programs found a consistent set of conclusions. These

1) Even though many programs have been developed, little evidence exists as to their effectiveness.

2) Most drug education evaluations have lacked careful methodological ana Lys Le ,

Jl There is no coneistment evidence that drug education programs reduce or increase the incidence of drug usa.

To be more effective, school programs need to incorporate two key noncurricular variables specifically, namely family and peer factors, as these are important influences on drinking behaviour (Mauss, Hopkins,Weisheit and Kearney, 1988).

IndirectFOrmSof Interyention

Schools often use what might be termed a "soft" approach to dealing with drugs. This often involves distributing pamphlets, brochures, posters and ad campaigns to their students (television advertising would also fall into this category). These provide information on the physical, emotional, social and legal co ns e q u e nc e s of using alcohol or other drugs. One such brochure, Making Your School Drug Fne (1989), outlines the impact of drug and alcohol use. While this approach does lnfon students of the

J4 effects of alcoholand drugus e and may have some positive impact, such interventionsare non-specificand perhaps more preveneaetve thanthe r a pe ut i c.

A library of pamphlets, aud i o -vi s uals , books and journalsis availableto the communitythroughthe ADDe. (Acur r e nt list ing of the resourceslocated in the Newfoundlandoff i c esottheADDCcan befou ndinAppendix C). This organizationalso offers me anLnqfu I activities to schoolsas alternativesto alcoho l and otherdru gs use such as drug free staff and studentdays and alcohol free dances and graduations.

A second type of intervention ,this one aimed at teachersand counsellors , involves the offering of incidental workshops and presentations. The searere gu l a rl y offeredby the Alcoholand Oruq DependencyCommission. They encourageedu catorsto inc reas etheir awareness and knowledge of dr ug and alcohol Lssuee among youth.1

Similarly , workshops for parents are also offered. One suc h workshop is called IISmooth sailing". This is a parent drug educationprogramdesignedto meet the needsofconcernedparents who wish totalk "lit htheir pre-adolescentchildren about drugs.

Curricu lumor GroupBased Approaches

A more formalized app r oa c h to int erv en t i on involves the inclusion ofdrug educatio nasapa r t of the curriculum. Modules re ad ilybe included at any level from Kindergarte nto Grade

I It should be noted that the MOC, besides offering workshops,alsooff e r s a counsellingservice toyout h. Onst a t!

are social workers trained to dea l with alcoho l and drug related issues.

35

Twelve. Curriculum content dealing ....ith aspects of drug and alcohol use could be coveredin a science, health , literature or even social studies class. A school couldbemor e direct. It is possible , for exeapre,to have separate courses on alcohol and drug useand on the impact substancemisuse has onpeople'slives. In Newfoundland,the topicof drugs and alcohol is integrated intothe curriculumin such sUbjec1:sas Family Life and Health educat i onat the Grades 1-9levels.

Commu n i t y an d Peer BasedInteryenti on

Within the school setting itsel! a number of dir e c t , indi vidualized intervention approaches can be used. What is foc us e d upon here isthe individual child ....ith a problem. Helpis forthcoming from a teacheror a counsellor on a one-to-one bas is. The comprehensive school team approach is one suc h form of intervention. The "StudentAssistanceProgram", for example, isa comprehensiveand integrated joint school and community progr am.

This provides students \lfith prevention, intervention, support and instructional services for the amelioration of alcohol and other drug related problems (Anderson, 1987). While no such programis currently utilized in Newfoundland, the approach has been implemented in other parts of Canada and in the United States.

Becausepeers play a key rolein the social support network.s of adolescents, peer counselling and group activities have been developed (Laurendeau, 1991). School based peer counselling networks aim to reinforce these social networks. Peer Counselli ng essentiallytrains groups of adolescents in interpersonal help i ng

J6 skills so they, in turn, ....ill beable to offer help to their peers. Gi v e n proper training. thesestudents canse r v eno t onlyas role mo de ls but also as advocates of healthy sk i lls and in format i on

(Spa r k s , 1984). Peercou ns e l l ors can helpotherstude nt s deal with a whole hostof problems including alcoholismIn thei r familyor their own substance abuse.

"Al a t e e n^lOis another organization offe ringgroup exp er i ence s toteenagerswhose liveshave been affected by sceecne-adrinking . Here, young peoplecome togetherto share experi enceswithot he r s, discusstheir diffiCUltie s,reurneffecti veways tocop e withthe ir pr obl ems and encou rageone another.

Individualized help from a teacheror counsellorcan be most beneficial. These formsot interventi onare discuss ed sepa r at ely below.

T.acber Ba••d Int.rvantion

The re are three facets to teacher based intervention . The teacher must first recognizea problem or risk situationex ists . Havingdone so the teachercan directlywork withthe child. The teacher can also serve as II reterral agent and suppor::to r the child while he or she is receivingassistance. Eachot these is discussed below. To illustrate the importanceot the teacherin the lifeof an individual child, II copyot a letter \fritten byone such child is reproducedin Appendix D. This letter was firs t printed by the Na t i o na l Association of Children of Alcoholics

(1988)•

37 Recognizing the Effects of Drugs and Alcohol in the Classrgom

Children of Alcoholics often bring the ir family problemsor concerns into the classroom.. There is considerable literatureon the id e n t i f i c a t i o n of COA's in the classroom (e.g., Dean, 1989;

Kids' stuff, COA's in the classroom, 1987). A comprehensive and representative list of behaviours that may be indicators or possible alcoholism in the child's home are outlined by th e National As sociation of Children of Alcoholics (1989). 2 The teacher should become very vigilant when one or more of these indi c a t o rs are noted.

1. A student fails to got excited about an anticipated class trip or event (because promises are so often brokenat home) •

2. A student acts very differently during alcoholand drug education from the way he/she usually reacts (f o r example, a talkative child becomes quiet or a usually quiet child becomes anilllated).

3. A student gets upset around hiS/her birthday and/or holidays (because special days are filled with disappointment for the child).

4. A student wants time alone with the teacher or clings to a teacher or an aide (this represents an effort toge t the nurturing he/she is not getting from a parent). 5. A student has unrealistic expectations of other children

and may be orten disappointed in others (COA'soften look to friends to provide the nurturing they are not getting at home).

6. A student may not be able to comply with the requests of the school when these involve parents (for example, a student may not bring a perlllission slip, a smock or an item from hometor a project).

a The reader will note that while these indicators do alert one to possible alcohol abuse, many 01' these same indicators can suggest other types of family/personal or abuse related problems.

aa 7. A student may act out one of the adaptive roles COA's play in their families, such as thesu pe r he r o (caretaker , achiever)I sc a pe goa t , mascot (class clown) or lost (withdrawn) child.

S. A student is fearfulof parent-tea chercontact(bec a us e there is fear that the parent will be drunkand the school will tind out or that the parent will be ha ve inapPropriately towardthe teacher or abusethechild ) . 9. A student talksback to a teacher or fights vith anothe r student (becausehe isangryat his parents,butcanno t express it an d comes tosc h oo l likea "t i me bomb").

10. Ausually respons ible st u d e n t who doe s as s i gnment s on time or does well on tests may inexplicably fail (f o r example, may offerno excuseor a farfetchedexc use for not having anass ignmentdone orfo r doingpoorly on a test - eit he r of whichmay be coveringup therea lre a s on related to a parent'salcohol or drug abuse).

pi rec t l y Workingwith Children at Risk

Teachers spend hours everyday wIththeir students. Bec aus e of this, they are in a unique position to obs e r v e day-to-da y behaviourand offerhelp to those who have sub stanceabuse rel a t e d problems(Wils o n emd Blocher,1990). Teacherscan providehelpto a childby offeringemotional sl:r'port, coping strategies and peer acceptance. Each of these functions is discussed below.

Establishing a one-to-one relationship with the child and commun i c a t i ng on a feeling levelis very important ifthe teach e r wishes to establish a trusting relationship (Robinson, 1990). A st Ud y by Jones, Kline, Habkirk and Sales (1990) found that the tea c he r - s t ud e nt relationship was identified as cne of the most impo r t a nt aspects of effective preventionprograms. The teacher, by smiling, hugging, praising and paying attention to a child's appropriate behaviours lets the ch i l d know that he or she is an

39 imp o rta nt and worthwhilepez-e on , This he lps boost self-esteem (Rob ins on , 1990).

Teac herscan als o help COA'Sdevelop fee l ings of trus t. The alcoholic home is ofte none vnee e promi s e s are not kept. COA'S believe thatthey can no t trusttheirpar ents or any adult. The establishme nt of tru s t bet ween the te a che r (a nother adult) and chi l d canbethe grea t est gIft of all (Robinson , 199 0 ). However, the caring tea c herst i llneeds to be cons i s te nt an d set fir m, reasonable limi ts. Th e te ache r ca nn ot rep l ace the alcoholic parent.

Teachers can make the classroom a secure and pr e d i c t ab l e environment where chi ldrencan feelps ychol ogI c ally safe,relaxal".1 enjoy learn Ing. The clas s r ooJD. is a refuge for IllanyCOA's and sc hool offe r s one time in th eday that they can get away fromthe inconsis te ncy , unpr ed i c tabi l ity and tu rmoil of th eir alcoholic homes. Pre dict a b le routi nes andru lesof fer securityand help them tothri ve. Teachere sho ul d allow and enr:ourage the child to make choicesanddecision s enab l i ng a feeling of control inat least par t ofhis /h '9r life (Wilson lind Bolche r , 1990 ).

Tea c he r s ne e dto begood listeners. Asymp atheticea r is one ofthe most impo r t an t thin gsa teac he r can pr o videtothe child of an al c oh ol ic [Teacher 'sGuide , For Helping St ude nts from Homes WhereAlc o hol is a Problem (upda ted ). Listen ing , by itself, is hel pful to those child r e n in whosefamil iesparental alcoholismis aguarded se cret- a secre t that is st r ugglingto come out. A no n-j Udge mental teache r, who sl1Dply listens, comf o rts and und e rs tands , is doing a grea t deal (Davis , Allen and Sherman,

40 1988). Teachers offering effective intervention communicat e clearlywith their students(Chr i s t e n s on , 1992).

When the opportunityarises, the following messagesshould be communicated to the child of an alcoholic (Davis at aI, 1988) .

you are not alone

your parents' alcoholism is not your fault - absolvethe m of blame

alcoholismis a disease

yo u are a worthwhileperson who deservesto gethelpfo r yourself

The teacheralsoneeds to validate children's experiences.

That is , help them to sort out theirconfusionand ex p la i n that al t h ou gh theymay feel "crazy" they are not. Childrenneed to gain someperspective on how a parent'salcoholismhas affected them.

Chi ld r e n need help dealing with this. The teacher will al so have to help the child deal appropriately with his/heranger and ot he r feelings. The teacher needs to shewthe child that anger will not resu l t in loss of love, affection and friendship (Davis , 1989).

Through reading books to children about the effects of sub s ta nc e abuse, teachers can help COA's ide nt i f y, understa ndand de a l with theirfeelings about family alcoholism. Books, such as Mypad Loves Me Mypad has a pisease· A Workbook (or Childrenof

~and Welcome Home' A Child's view of Alcoholism,can also he l p children learn how to take care of themselves when a parent is drinking (Robinson, 1990). Teachers canalso provide safe outlets forchildren to express their feelings through art, music, crafts , puppets, flannel board, clay and a host of other creativemedia.

41 SocIalin ter actionIs cru cia l tor childr e n of al coho l i s m who grow up in homeswher e thereisnoqiveandtak e. Toooften the parents takeandthe childre ngive (Robi n son, 199 0 ).

The tea chercanplaythe role ofillgr o upfacilitato r. Through group discuss i o nsco,,' . can learn that they are not alone andthey can say things and hear thingsthat are 1Dut ua llybeneficial and growth producing' (Rob inson, 19!10 ) .

In add i t ion to hel ping COA'S cope the teac h e r ca n assIst st u de nts to becom e abs t i nen t (Collab alletta , Fa ssbe nd e r and Bratter, 1983). Teacherscan helpst ud e nts recogn i z ethat theycan confron t feeling'S ofins e cur ity, rejection an dfai l u re withou t the us e of drugs or alcohol . Te a c h e r s can he lp st ude n ts overcome obs tacle s byofferingstrategies that willhelp st u d e nts to be c ome more au tio noacu e. Te achers can encouragestud e nts tochan neltheir energy into more produ ctive and self- a ctual iz i n g end e a v our s, thlllre by gaining co mpetencies and enh a ncin g their se lf-r e s pe ct.

Some ways of ac c ompli s hi n g this are by becomin g Invetved in co mmunityacti v itiesorbybei ng avo l un t e e r at a localag e nc y.

Teachers can fol"ll a teamand thereby sha re very importa nt inform a t i on about the child. Anind i vidualteacher is in an ideal posit io n to observestudentconduct and performanceand to notice changes that frequently in d i c a t e a student needs help. These insights can be shared. Teachers are also likely to beco me Inv c f v e d in the assenmant process by contributing signif icant in f o n a t i o n toth os e engagedindiscover ingthenature and extent ofa student'sdruginv o lve me nt(And e r s o n , 1987) .

"

ThoTear:;MrasII Re fe rral lind supportAgent

Th eteacherneedatobeaWilIreofhi s / he r ownexpe r t i s e. ot t e n ecee helpthantheteacher canofferisne e d ed. The te..chermust knowwh e n to re f er the chi l d to other prote s sionals insid e or outside the schoo l. The teacher sho Ul d beco me familiar wi t h cOmlllun!ty resource s. He or she shou l d 1(ROWwh i c horg a niutions have resour cesto he l p children andhowto cont a c t or re t er to theseorganizati ons.

When a ch ild at risk is ide ntif ied and when the child's problem is deemed beyondthe scope of the cecenee, help ne eds be so ught. The teache r mIghtseek out help through the guidanc e counsel l o r , ADDc: office s,localmedicalorsoc ial serv icesagencie s or cler qy . AslIent i o ne d earl ierAlateen gr o u psor even Alc oho l ic s Anon ymous qroups . ig ht besouqht out.

Some chi l d r en aay have di fficulties 50 qr e a t that ind i vid ua lized or group therapy illnee ded. Whena child is in therapy he or sh e otten ca n benetit by a support ive and understand ingteacher. Te achers,like the rapists.:ll.ust be aware of their te e ling s concerni ng psycho a ctiv a sub stanc es because these at t i t ude s willbe co mmun i c a ted tost ud e nt s (Collabollettaet aI, 1983). Sometimesa teacher,forexamp le, mightregard theuse of drugs or alcohol as a signof weakness or asani1llttloral act. Such attitudeswould not be beneUclaltothe child.

Teachers alsoneed to acquai nt themselv eswi t h the physical and pharmllocologlca l etrect s otpsyc hoactive subs t a nc e s asthese, too, may lead tounexpectedclasst"oombehaviou rs. Collabolle ttaet a1. (198 3 ) feel any teacher \tho wis hes to extend the tradit ional

43 teaching relationship should consider augmentinghi s/he r tra ining byreadi ngappropriate pUblicat ions, taking relevantcoursesand/or workshops.

The teacher has a legitimate and importantroleto play in the lives of COA'S or thos e who have sub s t ance abus e problems thems elve s . Teachers need certain qualiti es in or d er to be ef f e c t ive helpers. Qualiti es suchas strongcommunication skills , pa tien c e, motivation,abilityto establisha trusting rel a t ionshi p , are very desirable. These are qualities also foun d in couns e llor s. Accord ing to a study byJones, Kline, Habkirkand Sales (1990) the top four characterist ics impor t a nt in a qu a lit y rela t ions hip between the student and teacher are:

1. genuine Ilnd attentive interestin the student ; 2. mutual respect,

3• honesty;and 4• qood rapport.

The teacher encountering COA's ca n help best by be ing a resourceprovider , Itorole model and an understand ingand supporti ve friend.

Coun••llor B•••4 Int.rventiOD

Increasingly.schoolcoun s e llo r s lIust deal withchildren fr om homeswbere substance abuse exists. Because of increased pUblic eve r e n e e e , identification anelpreventionprograms are increasinglY demanded (Fieher, 1989). According to Wilson and Blocher (1990 ) counsellors have been targeted as appropriate individuals wbo are capable Of identifying and assistingchildrenotalcoholicpa r e nts .

44 In the next section identification Ilnd assessment of COA' S!lnd children with drug and alcohol problems by couns e l l or s will be discus s e d.

Ident i f i c a t i o n andAss e s s me n t

It isvit a l toide nt it'y students withdrug lI"ldalcoh olre 1tl.ted problems as early as possible since, for 8):ao:.pl e , the earlier st u d e nts areid e nt i f ied , the less they will have beendamag ed by the i r own chemical use orbythat of IIfamily member (Ande r s o n, 1987). There are many lists of indicatorsof substanc e abuse by yo u ng people and of the impact of substance abuse by others on children (Rob i n s on , 1990; Kids Stuff, 1987; She r o u s e , 1985) comp r e h e ns ive list of behavioursthat may be indicators of po ssibl e alcoholism in the child's home have already been cited inthi s document (refer to page 36). A counsellor can use th e se as guidelinesin the identification of children with drug and al co ho l related problems.

Many children seen by the counsellor have already bee n identified and referred by teachers, parents or other agencies. When students are referred to the counsellor, an assessment mus t ta k e place. The purpose of an assessment is to explore indlt ail theproblems the young person is experiencingin terDlS of both drug use and other life areas in order to develop an individualized treatment plan (Addiction Research Foundation and Health and Welfare cenede , 1991).

There is no simple test or instrument to neatly assess and match young people to the treatmentne e de d. The issues are too

45 complex andsUbtle. Professional jUdgement remains IndisftenSable.

The practitioner is the most sensitive instrument thereca n be (Addiction Research Foundation and Health and Welfare Canada, 1991). The ultimate goal of an assessment is to assis t the counsellor 1n makingthe best possible matchbetweenthene e dsof theyouth and theavailable treatmentre s ou rces in the cOlM'lunity. There are few assessment tools that canappr o pr i at e l y beused bytheteachersand counsellor. One, locatedbythe author i sthe Initial Asses s ment Report Worksheet. This is offered by the Ad d ict i o n Research Foundation (1991). This quide is of II qu a lit a t ive nature and providesa useful starting point toa counsellorwho is unfamiliarwith a client and at the earl y st age s of an intervention. This checklist looks at thirteen different components inclUding presenting problem. fa mi l y and soci al re l a t i o n s hi ps . health, previous treatment and counsellors impr e s s i o ns.

In doing an assessment the counsellor may need to consultwith ot he r educators or with other agencies in the community to determine what resources are available to meet this person's needs.

In doing this the counsellor may come to the conclusionthatthe needs of the young person are beyond his or her expertise and referral to another agencyisnecessary. I t is therefore important that counsellors keep informed about available community resources.

Even after a referral, the counsellor can still remain as a resource persontor the child. Follow up services to thechi ld are very important as they send" message to the child thathelsheis not alone.

46 Establishing Therllipeutic Relationshipslind Resource Networks

The counselling relationshipis of extreme importance wnen working with any clien.tand especiall.yimp o r t ant in ....orking with youngpeoplewith drug lindalcoholre l a t ed problemssincetrustis e bigissue for them. In developlnq 1Ioco u ns e ll i ng relation s hi p withCOA ' s and indiv i d ua l swith drug related problems the follow i ng pointsare important. The counsellormust establish. a trusting relationshipwiththe child by deVelopinganatmosphereofcomf o r t , sa fe t y and mutual respect (Ed war d s and Zander. 1985 ) . The cC'unsellormust avo idthereplication of th e destructive attitudes lind behaviour patterns of the child's parents. I t is the counsellor'srole to helpthe cnild identify and come to ter11Swith his or her feelingsof powerleosness, guilt, denial., and tode velop healthyways to express these feelings (Edwards and Zander,1985) . Th e counsellor must also help the child to develop a sen s e of self-control which is lacking in hisor her present situat ionand to prepare the child to face potential familysituati ons . Th i scan be acc omplishedthrough honest, straightforwarddiscussions about;

....hat the child might expect, exploration of coping alternative sand role playing (Edwards and Zander, 1985). Bibliotherapy lind relaxationexercises an also options that can beu80 t u l (Wi bon and Blocher,1990).

The counsellor should empower the child to deal. with the s1 tuation and enable hilll or her to learn assertive responses(De an, 1989). Focus shouldalsobeplaced on exploring feeling-s,ma n a g i ng stress and building self-esteem. (O'Rourke,1990). Counsellors lind

47 teachers can work together to he l p students develop po"itive self -concepts.

The counsel lor mustexplai n and discuss alcoholism with the child to ensure he or shehasaccurateinforma tionabouthis or her situation.

The child is often benefited by developing podt ive relations hipllwithot h er peer s andby fi nding resourcestocall upon in case of emergencies . The counsellorshoul d hel pthe child build up a reso urcenetwork (Edwa rdsan d zander,1985). Thefocus shouldbe onthechild's st r engt hsandth~ child should rec e i ve positive feedback when ap propriate . The counsello r should encourage oppor tuni t iesthat provide the ch ildwi threeagniti c n that he or she is awo r t hwhileperson. Praiseshould beof f e r ed for specif icbeh avioursand atti tu desthat are wi t hi n the control of thechi ld(Ed wards and Zander, 1985). Itis essentia l that the counsello r be wellinformedabout child andad ol esce nt development and the ef f ects of dru g and alc ohol use on the s e stages of developme n t {Jaynes and Ri g g,1988).

'theco unsellor maybemosthelpf ul to the childby creati ngan env Lrcnaerrt; that1s the an tithes isof the envirolUlent at home. BecaUSBa nur tur i ngenvironme nt maynot exis t inthe home for some time. it is inc umben t on the couns ellor to develop a stable ral a tionshi pthatprovides lovi nq and carinq emotionalex peri e n ces (Edwar dsand Za n der. 1985).

Inadditiontoindi vidu a lized hel pyout h withalcohol and drug relatedpro bl em s can bene f i t fro mgroup support. This wil lbe dis c ussed in thenext section.

48 Grou pSup p o rt

Deve lop.en talsuppor t groupsare aneffectivewayfo r school couns e llo rs toassist chi l d re n of al coho lics (Wilsonan d Blocher.

1990). Thes e groups hav e a var i etyor90a ls (Koe , 19 8 8 ). They hel p youn g s te r s communica t e lIor e eff e c tive ly by identifying and expreRsi n g the i r fee lings. They assis t chi ldrenIn

lear ni nq prob lem·s ol v i nq an d coping ski lls. stude n ts co meto see tha t theyare notalo ne and that therear e po opl e and plac e s they can tur n tofo r Bupp ort.in their school and cOJND.u ni t y. They also helpprovideinformat Iononalcoho land otherdrugs. The gr ou ps can help fos t e r sel f -este e m through inc reased understandIng of thei r pa r ents and themsel v es. These ga1nllcan imp rove fun ct i on ing at schoo l andre l at ions hipswith peers. They can cr eatepositive changein thefa mily allwe l l.

Pivo t al tothesucce ssof an y suppor tgroup istheknowl e dge, skil l and car e of its facilitator (O ~ Rourke, 1990) . Coun s e ll ors Bust eXUd e warmth and gentleness and ott er an at mo sph er e of eomt ort, saf e t y and mu tu al re spect.

The counsellorcannotworkalone in help ingyoungpeop l e wit h alc o ho l and druq rel ated pr oblems . Theymust work as part of.II.

team. Theco u n s e llo r also plays an impor t a nt role ined uc a ti ng other staff in thisar eaaswell as keeping abreastof alcoh ol and drug relatedissueshim/herself.

Team Byildi ngandOn g o in g Education

The counsellormust workwithothe red UCa t o r sin thesc hoolas pa r t of a team. A tea1lai9htcons istot teac hers, school nurse,