BY LESLEY ANN GARDNER, B.A.• B.Ed.

A COUNSELLINGINTERNSHIPIN A JUNIORHIG HSCHOOL IN ST.JOHN'S,NF.

BY

LESLEY ANNGARDNER, B.A.•B.Ed.

ArJ. internshipreportsubmitted totheSchoo lofGraduate Studies Inpartialfulfillment oflherequirementsfor thedegreeof Masterof Education

Faculty ofEduc:ation Memorial University of Newfoundland

April.1998

St.John' s Newfoundland

ABSTRACT

This is.report of an EducatiorW PsychologyintCllUlbip undet1&kertat MacDonald Drive JuniorHighSchoolbetweenApril14toJune20,1991.Itismedeupofthreemain sectio ns:anoverview,aresearchcomponent. and a reflective journal.

Chapter one gives anoverviewand areportof the internshipgoalsandobjectivesandthe activiti es undertakenbytheintern tomeetthese goals and object ives.

Chaptertwo,theresearchcomponent,reportsona study investigat ing theprev ale nce.

quantityandfrequency ofalcoholuse bymaleandfemalejuniorhigh studenu.The results ofthis studyshowthat males and femalesreported significantdifferencesin

&kobol consumption withinthelastfour weeksand twelve months.

Chapterthreeis. discussionaCmeresearch resultswith implicationsand recommendations.

Chapt erfour,thereflectivejournal, givesa briefpersonalaccountofthe internship activitiesand experiences.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wouldliketothank Dr.Wt.lliamKennedy,myinternship faalltysupervi so r for his support,. directionandadvicewhi~hmadesuccessfulcompletion of thisreport andMaster of Educationdegreepossible.I wouldalso liketo thank Mr.GeraIdWhitefOT hishelpin analyzingthe statisticaldata.. Hisco~itmentto advisingandassistinggraduate students intheirresearch is secondto none.

IwishtothankMr.DavidAdams, my internshipfieldsupervisor and mentorforhis constant: support, enc:ourasement, and guidance.Aspecialthank-youtoMr.Harold Hunt, Educational TbenpiSl,for his timeandadvice.

I am gnteful tothesta1tadministra tionandstudents ofthe juniorhigh school fortheir supponandcooperation.

Special thanks to myfamily,mends,andcoUeagues intheprognmwho havehelpedto make completionof thisdegree possible.

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TABLEOF CONTENTS

PAGE

ABSTRACT.... . .... . •. •. •.. . . ... ... . .... . __

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..••. . ••

LIST OFTAB L ES..

CHAPTER

OVERVIEWOF INTERNSHIPREPORT .

Rationalefor theInternship .

TheInternship Setting . GoalsandObjecti ves fortheInternshi p .

The ResearchComponent.. ... ... .... . . .•

Duration... ... .... ...•... ••... ...

Supervision. ... . . .

SClfEvaluation....•... ... ... . ... ..•...••...

vi

Limitations ofRcco rdingCounselling Experien ces..

Activities Undenake n to Meet InternshipGoals . A Reviewof the Objectives... 17

RESEARCHCOMPONENr... ... ••. ••..•. . . ...

Rationaleand Purpose.. .. . .•. •.•. . . .•.•.. •. . ..._.

ulc:ratureRe view.. .. . . ... ... ... ... ... .••• ..• .. . . .. ._.

Methodolo gy.••.... . .... .... .•.... .... ... ... ... . ... ..

Questionnaire.. . .... ... . ... .•. . .•••. ... .. . .•.•.•... . . ..

Sample... . .

Analysis .

Results .

OlSCU SSION.... ... ... . .... .... .... ....•.•... ... . Implications.. . ..•.... ... .. ... ... .. ...•.•.• •••.•.. ... . .... . .. ..

Reccmmen daticns .•.•... __... ..••••••.. ... .•...

•8 18 18 24 24 2.5 2S 2S 3S

36 37

47 TIlED"ITERNSHIPEXPERIENCE: A REFLECTIVE JOURNAL...39

REFERENCES... .. ••••. .•. •.. . ••. ... .. ... ... ... ...•. . ••. •••..._

APPEND ICES'

A:AdditionalReadi ngsCompleted DuringInternship... .. ... 5I B:Study DrugUseSurvey... ... 58 C:Letter to SchoolPrincipalRequestingPermission(0

Conduct Survey.... ... 59

0:LettertoParentsRequestingConsent..••... .•..••••... . 60 E:Letterof Consent From NewfoundlandandLabrador

Departmcnt ofHealthtoConduct SW"'le)'... ... .... 61

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

Percentage and Numberof Males and Females Whose Peers

Conswne Alcohol... 26

Percentage and Number of Males and Females Who Consumed Alcoholinthe Past 12 Months.... .... ... ... 27 Percentage andNumber of MalesandFemales Who Consumed

Alcoholinthe Last 4 Weeks. ... . 27

Percentage andNumberof Males and FemalesReporting

BeingDrunkinthe Past 4 Weeks _._ 28

Percentage and Number ofMaJesand Females Reporting Consuming FiveorMore Drinks of Alcoholon the Same

OccasionintheLast 4 Weeks. .. . 29

Gender Comparison of WhetherAlcohol Consumption Had Caused Tensionor DisagreementwithFamilyor Friendsin

thepast12 Months ... _. . .. ... .. ... . . .... 29 Comparison of Male andFemale Responsesto Wheth erAlcohol Consumption Had Resultedin Troublewiththe Policeinthe Past

12 months 30

Comparison of Male and Female ResponsestoWhether Alcohol Consumptionhad Caused Themto GiveUp Buying Other Things Inthe Past12 Months. . . . .... .. . .... ... .. . ... 30 Comparison of Male and FemaleResponsestoWhether Alcohol ConsumptionHadCaused Them To DamageThingsinthePast

12 Montbs... . .. ... . .. .. 31

vi

vii

10 Comparisonof Male and Female Responses to WhetherAlcohol ConsumptionhadCaused Them To Injure Themselvesin thePast

12 Months... .. 31

11 Percentage and Numberof Maleand Female Responses toUsing Fake Identification or Lying About Their AgeinOrderto GetAlcohol

InthePast 12 Months... 32

12 Gender Compariso nof Number ofClasses Devoted to Alcohol

Ed~cn... .. 33

13 Comparison of Male and Female ResponsestoWhether TheirSchoo l Has A Rule Against Drinking Alcoholon SchoolPropertyorat School Events .. ... . . .... ... .. . . •. ... . .... .... . .. ... ... . .. . 33 14 A Comparisonof theEffect ofAlcohol Conswnptionon School Work

By Gender ... ... . . 34

CHAPTERI

INTRODUCTION

RationalefortheInternship

TheMasterof Education(Educational Psychology)ProgrammeatMemorial Univers ity of Newfoundland offers students a choice of routesfor completion of degree requirements:athesis.project, paperfolio or internship. The Handbook for GraduateStudents of theFacultyofEdueati.on (1996) statesthatthisprogramme bas two subspecialities:schoolcounselling and schoolpsychology.The subspeclalityinschoolcounselling, designedforpreparationof counsellors for educationalsettings,focuseson schoolguidance litera ture , including childand adolescentlearningand development,career educationand counselling psychology(p.S).Through the course of studyatthisuniversity the internbas developed a theoretical basisofschoolcounselling which has provideda foundation for the delivery of guidance services in aneducatio nalsetting.The internshipwaschosenbecauseitwasfeltthatthislearningexperi en ce would providevaluableoppo rtuni ties togainbothpracticalandprofessional knowledg e.

Practicums[ andIIhadproven tobeinvaluableopportunitiesfor both personal and professional development.Itwas hoped thataplacementin the schoolsetting for an extensive timeperiodwouldenab le this intern to enhancebothcounselling andassessmentskills.

The Internship Setting

The followingcriteriawhichare statedin theHandbook forGraduateStudentsof the Facultyof Education(1996) wereconsidered in the selectionofthe internshipsetting:

Theavailability of on-site professionals with competence.desire andtime allotment toprovideon-going supervisionandto collaboratewithuniversityfacultypersonnelinthe deliveryof the program.

The opportunityfora varietyof experiencesconsistent with professional goals.

Thisinternship wascompletedin June 1997 at the same sitewhereIhadcompletedmy pracucumduringtheWintersemester,1997.As a result.I had become knowledgeable andfamiliar with theschool guidanceactivities. teachers, administration personnel.and thestudents at thesite .It was anticipatedthat anextendedplacement atthis sitewould provide an in-depth understand ingof counselli ngpractices. Also.this siteoffered an opportunity to workwith junio rhighstudents whileunderthe supervisionof an experienced guidance counsellor.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVESFORTHEINTER~SHIP

TheHandbookfor Graduate StudentsoftheFacult y of Education(1996) states that the goalandpurpose of theinternshipis to provide opportunitiesfor:

I. the developmentof personal and professional competencies for each intern based on hislher needs, previousexperiences,and career plans;

2. practicalexperiences that will bring into focusthetheoretical component of the program;

3. practical experiences that will enable the intern and the Facultyto evaluate the intern'sprofessional and personal competencies;

4. thedevelopm entof research and problem-solving skills appropriatetothe needs of the intern and the setting,considering the nature of the placementand the intern' scaree..goals;and

5. feedback to the Faculty which willserve to inform furtherprogramdevelopment.

These goals providean overviewandfoundation upon which to build.Thisintern' s overall goal of the internship was to develop the knowledge base and skillsnecessary to become a competent GuidanceCounsellor.1brough mentoring and working as a guidance counsellor the intern anticipated experiencing a broad rangeof activities associated with counselling adolescentsin aneducationalsettin g.

The internhad.ten specific goals which were basedon the goals ofthe internship as outlined bythe Faculty of Education.Thefollowingis an outline of me goalsand specific objectives to meet thesegoals.

Goal i: Tofurthrrdevelopskillsinc::ounseIli D&-

Obj ectiv es:

• Observe Guidance Cowtsellorincounselling sessions.

Impro ve communicationskills through c:ounscllingstudents.

Furtherresearch the areaofc:ounsclling theo ry/practice.

Goal2: To gain kDowledgeinthearea of assessmeDL

Objectives:

Fami liarizati on witha variety ofassessme ntprocedures (i.e.intelligencetests, achievement tests).

Practice administering assessmenttools.

Goal3: Tofurther developskithillthe aDaly1isof psyehoeduatioDaltest resultsaDdmake recommeDdatioos am cerniDg theeueeeba.sed00

these results.

Objectives:

Developan understandi ng ofindividuallearningstrategies.

To consultwithguidance personnelconce rningappropriaterecommendation procedures.

• Practicereportwritingskills.

Goal 4: To develop skillsinconsultation.

Objectives:

To observeGuidanceCounsellor'sconsul tation practices.

Tobecome awareofSchoolandBoardpoliciespertainingtoconsultation.

To obtain pertinentreferen ces(intheareaof consultation)concerning theprocessof consultatio n.

GoalS: ToInruaboutLnming Disabilitia and theproblems stu de DiS face witb thisdisability.

Objectives:

Toindepe ndentlyresearch the area ofLeamingDisabilities.

To observe the GuidanceCounsellor workingwithstudents

woo

^haveLearning

Disabilities.

• To famili arize myselfwithschoolresourcesconcernin gLearningDisabilities.

Goal6: To becom efamiliar witb tbeLaw concerning cbild pbysical,elQotional andsu ual abuse ofchild re n.

Objectiv es:

• TocoasuJtwithGuidance Personnd concerning theLawandchildabuse.

To familiarizemyse lfwiththese specificlaws. To independentlyresearchthe area ofchildabuse.

To beeeeae r.miliarwitb the rollowing:

Anger Management Self-EsteemBuilding Violence Prevention

• Crisis Management Objectives:"

Tocarryout indepen dent research inthese areas.

Tobecomefamiliarwithcounselling procedures in these areas throughconsultation withGuidance Counsellors.

GoalS: To becomer.miUar withLegal responsib ilities ofthe CouDselling Profession.

Objectives:

To becomeaware of School and Board polici espertainingto Counsello rLegal responsiblities.

To consultwith Counsellor Associations(i.e.SCAN -Schoo l CounsellorsAssociation ofNewfoundland).

To independcndyresearch this area.

Goal 9:

God 10:

TopnfonoothudutiesDototherwi!especified.

Toannplde the nsea.rcb component of tbeGraduate Internsbip Program.

RESEARCH COMPONENT

Aspreviously noted, a major goal oftheintems:hipwasto complete the research componentoftheGraduate Internship program.Theresearchtopic. students'use of alcoholwas selected based on the intern'sinterests injuniorhigh students'alcohol consumption.. The proposed srudy was intended to investigatethe :I) prevalence,2) quantity,and3) frequency of alcohol use byasampleofjuni or high schoolstudents.

The intern felt that it was imponant to identify the proportion ofadolescents using alcohol in order to improvethelevelanddelivery of prevention and education programs. Itwasalso felt that this research wouldbeuseful andof valueto the internshipsite.

The ten weekplacement beganon Monday,April14,199 7 andendedon June 20, 1997.

SUPERVISION

Onsitesupervisionwasgenero usly provided on anongoing basisbyMr.DavidAdams,a guidancecounse llor.Thefield supervisor wasavailable on a daily basisto assist this internbyanswerin gthe manyquestions she had:providingdirectionincounselli ng sessions:assisting withassessmentinterpretation and reportwriting:andother issues/concerns astheyarose.Inthe middleand at the endof theinternship.the field supervisorand intern reevaluated theattainment of intern'sgoalsandobjectives.

Theintern and facultysupe~sor.Dr.William Kennedymet periodicall yto discussand monitortheintern 'sprogress aswell as to eval uate thelearnin g experiencesoftheintern.

SELFEVALUA nON

Self-evaluatio ntook thefonn ofaninterns hip journaland time-logwhichassisted the intern inrecordinginternship activitiesand monitorin g of prog ress,Attheendof eac h week,theintern evaluated and recordedthelearning experiencesasthey relatedtothe goalsandobjectivesoftheinternship andfreq uently consult edwithboth thefieldand facultysupervisors throughthe selfanalysisprocess.

LIMITAnONS OF RECORDINGCOUNSELLING EXPERIENCES Thereflecti vejournal ,chapterfOUT,isan "informal"accountof myplacementactivi ties andexperiences.Theintern encounteredmanydelicate issuesand privatemanerswhich, due tothe confidential nature of theinformati on,were notreco rdedin thisrepon.

ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKENTO MEET INTERNSH IPGOALS Thefollowing is adescripti on of activitiesundertakeninorde rtomeetthegoal sand objectivesoftheinternship.Ten goals were Cann ulated and eachgoal is review ed individually.Itisfelt thattheinternhasattainedallof hergoals during theinternship experience.

COUNSELLING

GoalI: Tofurtherdevelop skills incounselling.

Althoughpastworkexperienceandcoursescompleted in the Master of Educational Psychologyprogram had providedtheinternwithcounselling skillsandex perience.it wasnevenhelessfeltthat the internship routewouldprovide avaluable oppo n unity to buildupon existing knowled geand to experiencecounsellingfrom theposition ofa Guidance Counsellor in a juniorhighschool setting.Aswellasproviding counselling theintern observed boththe GuidanceCounsellor andEducati onalTherapistina variety ofindividualcounsellingsessions. Counsellingsessionscentered around avariet y of issues andconcernssuchas:

Absenteeism Bullyi ngIHarassment Conflict Resolution Divorc e Eating Disorders

Self-Esteem Test Anxiety ConfidenceBui ldin g Assertive Behavior ConversationSkills Organization Skills Study SkiUs TheYoungOffendersAct Violen ce

AngerManag emen t ChildAbusc

Itwasnecessary toreviewtheoreticalperspectives atthe onset of theinternshipandthe followingbookswereconsulted:Thompson&Rudolph(1996) CounsellingChi ldren"

Corey(1991)

Thmrv

and PracticeofCounsellingandPsychotherapy'Gibsonand Mitchell(1995)Introduction1OCounselling and Guidance'andMetcalf(1995) CoUOSClling TowardsSolutions .Avarietyof counsellin gareas were investigated.

Appendix A providesa list of readings completedduringtheinternship.

The internwasalso involvedingroupcounsellingandgroupactivities.Iwasalso involvedinselecti ngpeerhelper candi da tes . Iparticipa tedininterv iewingstudentsand choo singthetwelvestude ntswhowould be peer helpersinthe schoo L Theintern attendedand participa tedinweeklypeerhelper meetings.Ico-led a self-estee mgroup

10

with a Special Education teacher which metapproximat elyonce bi-weekl yforfifty minutes. From theseexperiencesit became obvious tome thatthe process ofcounselling covers awidespectrum of activities.inavariet yofsettings.with differentprofessionals and paraprofessional s

ASSESSMENT

Goal2: To gain knowledgeinthearea ofassessme nt.

Theintern becamefam iliarwithavarietyofassessmenttools throughoutthe internship experience.The intern had limited knowledgeandexperience befo re beginningthe internshipintheareaof assessment.As aresult,it wasfell thatexpos uretoassessment proceduresand toolswhileunderthe supervisionofanexperienced Guidance Counsellor wasamajorgoalof theinternship routedecision. Theintern familiarizedherself witha varietyofassessment proceduresinclud ing:

WechslerIntellig ence Scalefor Children-(WISC ) Test of visual-M otorSkills(Upper Level)- (TVMS-U L) Test of VisualPercep tual Skil ls-(TVPS) Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills -(TAPS) DiagnosticAchi evementBattery-cDAB-2) NationalMathemati cs Assessment

From theassessme ntactivities theinternwas abletoreflec tmoredeeply onthe rationale ofassessmentsas wellasleamthe"mechanics" ofgiving them.

12

Various books were consultedon the subjectofassessment.The readings comp leted duringthisintermhiparelistedinAppendixA.

TFSTANALYSIS

Goal 3: To further developskillsintestanalysisandrecommendations basedon

=I".

Theintern gained know led geintestanalys isthrough:direct administration andscoringof various assessmenttools; the writingof psychoeducation aIreports;and consultationwith guidance personnelconcerningappropriate recomm enda tion practices.The Guidance Counsello rwas consulted concerningtestanalysisand properreferral procedures.As well.theinternwasgrantedpermission toreadcom pletedreportsin an effort tobecome morefamiliarandknowledg eab lewithprofessi onalreportwritin g.Thefollowingwere consulted:Sa.ller(I992)Assessment ofChil drm'McCameyetaI.(1993)1l!!tftt.:

Refeml(" tm ention Manual ;and BanasetaI.(1982) \VISC.Pr!¥riptjODS.Theintern also attendedmeetings where test:resultsandrecommendationswere sharedwithparents.

teachersandstudents.Valuabl eexperiencewasgained hereininterpretationoftest results especiallytoparents.

CONSULTA TION

Goal4: Todevelop skillsinconsultation.

Thisintern becamefamiliarwitha very important mono:"Wh enindoubt.consult".

Consul tati onisanon-going processwhich doesnotceasetoexistregardless cf the

13

numberofyeanofexperienceonegains.TheinternobservedboththeGuidance Counsellor' sandthe EducationalTherapist 'sc:onsu.ltatiODpractices.Guidancepersonnel consul tedwithvarious profess ionalsandagenciessuchas:teachers.school administration,students.parents,theSchoo lBoard.ChildProtection. TheJanewa y Hospital,andother GuidanceCounsellors . Through observingandbeinginvol vedin consultationpractices.valuable experienceandknowledgeinconsultationtechniques were gainedwhichIbelievewillprepare metobea more competentSchoolGuidance Counsello r.

LEARNIN GDlSABILmES

GoalS: Tolearnabout LearningDisabi litiesand the problemsstudents face.

The intern spent a considerable amountof time readingandresearching infonnatioo on learning disabilities.In1992.the School Guidance Co uns e llorprep ared a manual on Learning Disabilities including assessment, general information. identificati onand interventionstrategies.Theintern became fami liarwiththe resources Adoletal.,(1986), Tucker. (1985);Morganetat.(1983),O'Brien(198S).Throughdiscussio ns withthe GuidanceCounse llo r.theinternbecamefamiliarwithwaystoiden tify possiblelearning problemsand appropriate referralsourcesandprocedures.Byparticipatingincase conferences held bytheSchool Counsdlororan Educati onalPsychclc gist,theintern became familiar with both"athome"and "in-class "strategies which couldassiststudents with learning disabilitiesto perform betterintheiracademic pursuits.The readings completed during the internship an: listedinAppendixA.

CH ILD ABUSE

Goal6: Tobecomefamiliar with

me

Lawconcerningphysical.emotional.and sexualabuseof child re n.

The interndevelopeda greaterunderstan dingof childabuse by observ ingindividual counsellingsessions:theaetu.u proces s of reponingchild abusebyguidancepersonnel:

the intern'sreportingofchildabuse toChildProtection:and thcintern's compl etingand filingof appropriatedocumentation infonn ation.Theinternrealizedtheimportance of beinga supportpersonfortheabusedchi ld andthc importanceofrepo ni ngsuspected child abuse. Ibecame awareof thefactthat questionin glhe alleged abuserorany individ ual whomayhavebeena wiUlCSStothe alleged abuse isanoffense and wouldbe consideredas interferringwithaninves tigation. Guidance personnelas well asBoard Policy penainingtolheareaof ChildAbusewere consulted.Additionalread ings are listed in AppendixA.

1l'"DEPENDENTRESEARCHTOPICS

Goal7: To becomefamiliar with the followingareas:

AngerManagem en t SelfEsteem Building ViolencePreventio n CrisisManagement

"

To helpinresearchingmesetopicstheinternwas givenaccess toguidanceresourcesand consultedvariousbooks:Provincial GovernmentDocuments.SchoolBoard policy .and SChoolpolicy.Inaddition.the internbecamemore know ledg eabl eabouttheseareas through independentresearc hofjournalarticlesand through on-g o in g consultationwith Guidance Counsell ors.A list ofpro fessionalread ingscompleted during the internshi pis contai nedinAppendixA.

GUIDANCECOU NSELL O R LEG ALRESPONSIBILITI ES Goal8: Tobecomefamiliarwithle gal responsibilities ofthe counselling

profession.

Theinternbecamefamiliarwithlegalresponsibil itiesandduties of theco uns e lling professionincl uding areassuchas:ownershipof informati on:informedconsent;

.reportingofchild abuse:confi dentialityandbreach ofcon fidentialit y: courtsubpoenaed information:custodyissuesandconsent; andtheTaraso ff judg eme n LTheintern cons ulted meGuidanc e Counse llo r.EducauonalTher&piSLSchool Board policies and proced ures.provincial governmentpolicies:journal articles.;ISwellasnoesfroma workshopgivenbyJamesOgloff.Associa teProfess oratSimon FraserUnivers ity concern ing legalandethicalissues for Menla!Heal th Professional s.Alistofreadings pertai ning tolegal issues is containedin AppendixA.

ADDITIONAL DlITIES

Goal 9: To perform otherduties nototherwi sespecified.

16

Aspan of tbe counsellinginternshi p,theinternassistedinavarietycf crher related duties whicharemmmari:z:edasfollo ws:

• Visitedfeederschoolswith theGuidanceCounsello rwhointrod uced theschoolto incomingstudents.

ParticipatedinOrientatio nDay whichintrod ucedincomingstudents totheschoo l.

Participatedinpreparingfortheschool's 25'"anniversary cele brations.

Attendedvariousmeeting s suchasStaffMectings;SummerSchoolRecommendation Meetings andCase Conferen ces.

Visited various organizationsand assis tedinupda ting the Guidanceroom material s.

AgenciesincludedCommuni ty Health, Community Addictions,Iris KirbyHouse.

AdolescentCounse llingCenter.Womeo' s Center,Planned Parenthoodandothers. Supervised a Grade 8tourcf'the MarineInstitute.

BecamefamiliarwithTourette'sSyndrome.AspcTger'sSyndro me.

P.D.D.(pervasive DevelopmentalDisorder),AutismandChtomsome-18 Deficiency .

RES EARCH COMPONENT

Goal10; TocompletetheresearchcomponentoftheGraduate Internship Program.

The research compone ntwas accomplishedthrough:

a) completinginitialresearch onadolescentalcoholusage and the submission of a draftproposal

17

b)discussionswiththefield andfacultysupervisorsconcerning the proposedarea of research

c) the administeringofthe Student Alcohol Survey dl theinterpretationand analysis ofresults e) a completedresearchreport inclu din grecom mend ations

A REVIEW OF THE 081ECTIVES

Insummary.the internshipprovided invaluablelearning experie ncesthatwouldnOIhave been realizedinpracticum setting. Upon completionofthe internsh ip, theinternfell confident that activities carriedout duringthetenweekperiodprovided herwith asound knowledgebase andsolidfoundationuponwhich tobuild a careerin the helping profession of counselli ng.Throughme ntoring and workingas a guidance counsellor.a broad rangeof activitiesassociatedwithcounselling adolescents in an educationalsetting were experienced.Overall.itwas feltthat theinterns hipgoals andobjectivesweremet.

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CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH COMPONENT Rationale and Purpose

Tofulfill the requirementsof theDegree.Masterof Education.at Memorial Universityof Newfound land.those studen ts selec tingtheInternship componentcan choosea research and/or projec t.This intern proposed aresearch. study investigatingtheprevalence.

quantityand frequenc y ofalcoholuseby juniorhigh students inone schoolinSt.John's.

NF.It was felt such a studycouldprovidethe educators and counsellorin this school withvaluable and useful informati onconcerning alcoholuse.Itisimponanttoidentif y theproporti on of theadolescentpopulation usingalcoholinorderto improvethelevel of prevention and educationprograms.

Review of Literature

The useof alcoholhas beco me a major concerninoursociety.Alcoholabuse is by far themostwidespreadConnofdrug abuse insociety andalso the mostdamagingand costly. (Minister ofNationalHealthand Welfare.1990).Alcohol (ethylalcoholor ethanol) is classifiedasboth a sedative-hypnotic andinvisible drug. Sedative-hypnotics are drugsthatcausea slowing down . or depression. ofthe centralnervoussystem.At low doses they produce a feeling ofdrowsinessorcalm. At higher dosesthey can produce severeintoxication.unconsciousness.comaordeath.Alcohol is consideredan invisibledrugbecause manyusersdonotrealizethat itis infactadrug. (Ministerof

National Health and Welfare ,1990).The effe ctsof alcohol depend not only on the amountcon sum ed.buton a number ofothe rfactors suchas,the past drinkingexperience of theuser,th.e wayinwhich it is consumed, thefeelingsand mood of theperson (Drug Dependen cyServices: Challen ge TheMyths About AlcoholUse. n.d).

Inthe United States.alcohol isthemostwidelyusedand accessibledrugamong Americanyouth.(U.s.Departmentof Heaith andHumanServices.1991).Hawkinset al.,(19 85)reponedthat associationofyouth with. alcohol -using peers is oneof the strongestpred ictorsofalcoholuse.Johns tonetal. (1989) reportedthat 45% of all high schoo lsenio rs thoughtthat their friends would not disappro ve of heavy "party drinking".

Heavydrinking referred to five or more drinksonce or twice everyweekend .The U.S.

Secretary'sTask Force (1989)reponed thatfrom the1950's to1980' s,lifeexpectancy hadincreasedforeveryagegroupin the UnitedStatesexcept 15-to-24-year-olds.Three- fourths of all deaths in this agegroup wereattributedto suicides,homocides,andinjuries and alargeproponi onof thesedeathswererelated torisk ylifest yleswhichinclud ed alcohol.andotherdrug use. (Secretary'sTask Force.1989).

Withtheexceptionofcaffeine .themost widelyusedandabuse d ps ycho activ edrug by bothyoung peopleand adults in Canadaisalcohol. (MinisterofHealthand Welfare, 1990).

20

A NationalAlcoholandOther0rug5Surveyin19 89reportedthatabouteightinten (81%)ofCanadiansaged15·24werecurrentlydrinkers:thatis.theybadconswned alcoholat least onceduringthe:12monthspriortothesurvey.(Heal thand Welfare Cana da.1989).The1989National Alcoh oland Other Drugs Survey reponed that Canadians fromthe Atlanticprovincesconsum ed lessalcoholthanthose fromother regions.Onaverage,the number of drinksconsum edperMCkbypeopleinAtlantic Canadawas 2.5 drinks., followed byQuebec(3.0 drinks),OntarioandBritish Columbia (3.6drinks)andthe Prairie Provinces(4.1) drinks.(Healthand Welfare Canada.. 1989).

Oneyear followingthis 1989SUC'.'~'.the1990 Alcohol andOtherDrugSurveyreport ed thatNewfoundlandyouthage 15-24years tended todrinkmore alcoh olper occas ionthan the average Canadian youth -4.8drinksincomparisonto3.9drinks.(Healthand WelfareCanada..1990 ).

Thebook entitled TWOWay Street(1992 )publishedby the RoyalCanadian Mounted Polic e.stated thatadolesce nts them selvesreponedthattheyusedalco ho lor drugsfor a varietyof reasons including:

"Curiousaboutwhatitwouldbelike"

"Myparentsdon'twantmeto"

..Ithelps merelaxandhavefun"

"My parentsdrive mecrazywiththeir demands andexpectations"

"Adults doitallthetime"

"Myfriendsdoit. andIwant to fitin"

21

"Ittakes meaway fromtheboredomandthecrap"

"'WhenIdrink..itmakes me moresureofmyself"

"Ilike thefeelingof gettingdrunkorhigh"

In1992theR.C.M.P.reponedthattherewerethreegeneral.groupsof adolesccntswho usedalcohol:(1)curiousexperimenters;(2)socialorpartyusers;(3)hannfully involved

Alcoholuse and abuse by adolescentshasbecomea major concerninthis province . Adolescenceis a timeof developmental change when teenagers aresee kingout waysto deve loptheirownindepc:odenceandidentityformatio n, Teenagersuse andcontinueto abuse alcoholforavarietyofreasons, someofwbichinclude: thechemicalproperties (i,e.mindfmoodaltering);particularcharacteristics cf' tbe individual (i.e.geneticand physical);socialpersuasionand social pressure;andbyexample.Itisimportantthat counsellors,.educators,health professionals.parents and adolescentshave an understandingcftheproponion of tbe adolescentpopulation using alcoholinorderto developandevaluateprevention/educationprograms.

AStudentDrugUseSurveywasadministeredtostudentsingrades 7.9, 10andIIinNF .and Lab in1986 which was thefirststudyof its kindinNewfoundlandand Labrador and

thiswaspartof alarg er project beingconductedacrossallAtlanticprovinces.

Appro ximately56% ofNewfoundlandand Labradorstudentsreportedusingalcoholat

22

somepointinthe12months previous to the survey.The other Atlantic provinces reportedlower percentages:Nova Scotia-54.2.PrinceEdward Island-51.Sand.New Brunswick- 52.1(Newfoundlan d Departm ent ofHealth.1996).These findingsart similar tothe OntarioStudent Drug Use Surveywhich reportedthat58.8% of students (grades7, 9.11.13)hadexperiencewithalcohol. (Adlaf,lvi s, SmartandWalsh.1995).

Intermsof alcohol use byNewfoundland and Labrador malesand females.males reportedgreater alcohol consum ptio nwithin thepast12 mon ths(58.5% ) thanfemales (53.6%).Interms of frequencyofalcoho luse.approximately400/.of malesreponed bavingmore than onedrinkinthefour weeks priortothesurveywhereas28.0% of females indicated thesame.(Newfo undlan d Departmentof Health, 1996).Further researchinthis area wouldprovidevalua ble information tothosewhoworkwith adolescents.

Amongtheschoolbasedprogramswhichhavebeenemployed toreduce alcoho l use amongadctesceee, the most widel yused modelwastheBehavioral Chan ge Model.

(Health andWelfareCanada,1992).This model asswnesthatbyincreasing adolescents' knowledge about the consequencesof alcoholabuse.adolescents will change notonly theirattitudesabout alcoholbutalso reduce theiruse of alco hol.Mosk owitz (1989) statedthatother theoretical modelsusedineducationalsettingsan:the values/ decisio n- making modelandthesocial compe tencymodel.Thevalues/ dec ision making model askstheadolesce ntto evaluatewhy szbeuses alcohoUdrugs and therole that alcohol use playsinfulfilling their needs.Themodelcallsforresponsibledecisionmaking

2J

concerning alcoholuse. The social competency model stales that peopleusc:alcohol or drugs to compensate fortheir lack of social skills.This approach isaimedat promoting individuality and resisting pressure to use alcohol.

Evaluations of school-basedprevention programsreported that there is inconsistent evidenceto suggestthatthese programs have been effectiveinpreventing or reducing alcohol uselabuse.(GliksmanetaI.1990;Staulop et aI.1979; Schaps et aI.1981, Moskowitz 1989; Pentz etaI.1989).

A review of theliterature suggests that an integratedapproach is needed in order10 effectivelyeducate and prevent adolescentalcohol usage.Recent initiativesinthe United States called oncommunity awareness and the cooperation of all levels within the community. These levels includedteachers;parentsand youngadults;social,health, and public service providers;business people.andreligious organizations.This community approach is intendedto serveas a catalystfor changewithinall levels of society.(Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, 1991).Various individuals and communitiesinthe U.S.

developedapproachesto alcoholprevention among adolescents such as Project Graduation; OaklandParentsinAction (OPA);and Parent ResourceInstitutefor Drug Education (pRIDE).Health and WelfareCanada(1992) statesthat the most prudent approach to the delivery of school-based alcohol prevention programswouldbe"to develop comprehensive,multifaceted programs that are well-integratedwith a broad..

community-wide health strategy."(p.78).

METHODOLOGY

Ouestionnaire

Researchdatawas collectedvia a questionnai re consistingofseventeen items requesting information on the prevalence.quantity.and frequency of use of alcohol byjuniorhigh studentsinone schoolinSt.John's. NF.(Appendix B).The seventee nitems were selected from theStudent DrugSurveyconductedin Newfoundlandand Labrador.1996.

A wnuenleuergranting permissionto usetheseitemswasobtained from Ms.Beverly Clarke at Addiction s Services intheDepartment ofHealth ,S1.John's,NF.(AppcndixE).

Ethicsapproval was granted bytheFacult y ofEducationEthics Committee atMemorial UniversityofNewfoundland to conduct this study. A letterwas sent totheschool principal requesting permissiontoconductthe survey,along with informa tion aboutthe purposeof the study.(AppendixC).Also.lettersrequiringparental consentwere sent to thelegal guardiansof the students participating inthestudy.(AppendixD).Theletter provided parentswith infonnati on conce rningthepurpose ofthestudy.aswell asthe anonym ous.voluntaryandconfidential natureof the questionnaire.

Thequestionnaire wasadministered on the same day tothirty-eight students intwo classes of grade 9students.Studentswereinformed aboutthe confidential.voluntary,and anonym ousnature of thequestionnaire.Twentyminuteswereallotted forthe completio n ofthequestionnaire .

zs

Sample

The sam pleconsisted of twograde9 classesina juniorhigh school inSt. John' s.NF.

Thiny-eig htstudents com pleted the question naire.eighteen malesandtwentyfemales.

Allof thesubjec ts were betweentheagesof 14-16 years.

Analysis

Analysisof data included descriptiv estatisticsusingfrequenc yprocedures.Cross tabulations with achisquare wereusedto detenninewheth er ornot there were differences betweenmalesand femal es .The SPSSIPCcomputerpro gramwas employe d forallstatistical analysis .

~

Tables1-14report the descriptivedatacompiledfrom the survey. Throughoutthis sectioncum ulative percen tagesare usedtoprovide an overall picture ofalcohol consumpti onbymalesandfemal es.Theseventee n questi onnai reitem saredivided into sixcategories:0)Profile of subjects:(2)Peer' s alcohol usage: (3)Frequency of subject alcoholusage; (4)How alcoholusa ge affectedsubject's life; (5)Howalcoholusa ge affected subject's behavior ;(6) Alco hol anditseffectonschoollife.

ze

The followi ngtables provideanove ral lpictureofalcoholcons um ptio nbymalesand femal es. Cumulative percenta gesare used indescribing data.

PEER ALCOHOL USAGE TABLEt

Percentage and Numberor MalesandFemales WhosePeers Consumed Alcohol

Response M

\< N \< N

None 11.1 2 10.0 2

AFew 27.8 5 25.0 5

AboutHalf 22.2 4 5.0 I

MoreThanHalf 16.7 3 25.0 5

All 22.2 4 35.0 7

Note:x-- 3.02.p>.05

No signifi can tgenderdiffe rences were observe d in reportsof thenumberandperce ntage ofrespondents whosepeerscon su med alcoho l.11.1'n:ofmales and10% of females responded thatnone of theirfrien dsusedalcohol. 22.2'*ofmales responded tha thalf of theirfriends usedalcohol comparedto 5.0'* of fem ales. 6O,O'n:offemalesrespo nde d thatmorethanhalfof their friendsused alco holas compared to 38.9% ofmales. 35% of females repon ed thatalloftheirfriendsconsumedalcohol comparedto22.2Cffofmales.

FREQUENCY OF Sl1JDENTS'ALCOHOLUSAGE TABLE 2

Percentageand Numberof Males and Females Who Consumed Alcoholinthe Past 12Months

Response

"

NOIAt All ..l4.4

Just A Sip 5.6

OnceaMonth 16.7

2 or3Times II.!

MOR:Than3Times 22.2 Note:x-:: I1.53.p-c.05

M N 8 I 3 2 4

"

^(5.0

10.0 45.0 30.0

N 3 2 9 6

Asignificant differencebetweenmaleandfemale reports of alcoholconsumption within thelast 12 months was observe d.(x2=11.53.P<.05).44.4'kofmales reported not consum ing alcoholwhereas15.0'k of femalesreponednotusing alcohol.withinthepast year.l6.7 ~of males responded thatthe yused alcoholonceamonth compared104S.0Ck of females. 75.0%of femalesreported that they consumedalcoholoncea monthor more compared to 50.0'kof males.Cumulative percentages areusedtodescri bedata.

TABLE 3

PercentageandNumberofMalesandFemales WhoCons umed AlcoholintheLas t 4 Weeks

Response M

"

^N

"

^N

Nm AtAll 66.7 12 45.0 9

Once or Twice 16.7 3 40.0 8

Once orTwice aWeek 5.6 1

Three or Four Times 15.0

Five or MoreTimes 11. 1 Note:x-_8.62.p<.05

A signi ficant differencebetween maleand fem ale reportsof alcohol consum ptioninthe last 4 weekswas observed .(x~=8.62.p<.05) 66.7'lof males reported not cons uming a1cobolin thelast4weeks.whe reas only45.0% offemales reportedthey did not consume alcoh.ol.16.7% ofmales reponedconsuming alcoholonce ortwiceamon th comparedto40.0% of females. 33.4%offemal es reportedconsumingalcoholonceor more a month co mpare d to 55.0% offemal es .Thesepercenta ges are theresul t of combining all categories whe re students reponed consum ingalco holonce ortwiceor moreaweek.. Cum ulative percen tages areused in describ ing data .

TABLE 4

Percentageand Number of MalesandFemales Repo rti ng Being Drunk in the Last4

~

Respon se M

"

^N

"

^N

Did Not Drink 66.7 12 ·1-5.0 9

NotDrunk 16.7 3 20.0

"

Once 5.6 I 15.0 3

Twice 5.6 I 10.0 2

Three 5.0 I

FourorMore 5.6 5.0 I

Note:x- 2.81 .p> .05

No significan tge nderdiffere nce was observedin reportsof being drunk in thepast4 weeks.66.7%ofmales reponednot consumingalcoholcomparedto45.0% of females.

Adiscrep anc y exists betwee n thepercentage of femalesreporting no tusing a.1coholin Tab le 2 and Table4.15%and 45.0 %res pectively.16.8% of malesrespondedthatthey weredrunkoneor moretimes inthepastmonth compared to 35.0%of females. Cum ulativepercen tages areusedtodesc ribedata.

TABLES

Pe~eptageandNumberoeMaleland Females Reporti ng Consuming Finor More Drink!of Alco hol

on

the SameOCC8J!iODin the La,t 4 Weeks

Response M

% N % N

NotAtAll 66.7 12 45.0 9

Not Morethan5Drinks 11.1 2 15.0 3

Once 20.0 4

Twice ILl 15.0 3

ThreeTimes S.6

FourTunes 5.0

Fiveor MoreTimes 5.6 Note:Xl 7.74,p>.05

Nc significant gender differenceswere observedinreports of consuming five or more drinks onthesame occasioninthe last 4 weeks. 66.7% of malesresponded thattheyhad notconsumed alcoholinthe past 4 weeks compared to 45.0010of females.22.3%of malesreportedconswning five or moredrinkson one or moreoccasionsinthe past 4 weeks compared to 40.0010offemales.

HOW ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AFFECT'EO SUBJECTS'LIFE

TABLE6

Gender Comparisonof WhetherAlcoholCons umption Had Caused Tension or Disagreemen t withFamily or Friendsin the Past 12 Months

Response Male Female

% N % N

Yes 10.0 2

No 55.6 10 65.0 13

IDon'tDrink 44.8 8 25.0 5

Note:

i?""

2.98,P>.05

30

No significantgender differences were observedinreports of alcoholconsumption causing tension or disagreement with familyorfriendsin thepast12months.10.00/.of females respondedthatalcobolusage bad caused tension ordisagreement withfamilyor friends compared to0.0%ofmales.

TABLE7

Comparison arM.leand femaleResponsestoWhelberAlcohol Consumptionbad Rqultedin Troublewitb the Poliq intbe Past12Months

Response M

% N % N

Yes

No 55.6 10 95.0 15

Don'tDrinkAlcohol 44.4 8 25.0 5

Note:x²..1.59.p>.05

Nosignificant gender differenceswereobservedinreportsof whetheralcoho l consumptionhadresultedintroublewithpoliceinthe past12 months.No malesor females reportedthatalcohol consumptio nhadresultedin troublewith thepolice.

HOW ALCOHOL CONSUMPTIONAFFEcrED SVB.JECTS'HERA V10R TABLES

Com p aris on DIMale and FemaleResponsesto Whetbu Altobol CODsumptionhad Caused Them to Give Up Buring OtberThingsintbe Past12 Months.

Response

%

Yes 16.7

No 38.9

Don ' tDrinkAlcohol 44.4 Note:

Xl-

1.91,P>.OS

M N 3 7 8

% 15.0 60.0 25.0

N 3 12 5

"

Nosigni fican tgenderdifferenceswereobservedinreportsof whether alcohol cens umptionbad caused subj ects to giveupbuyingother thingsinthe past 12 months.

16.7"1.of malesreponedgivingupbuyingother things due to alcoholccnsumpconin the pastyear compared to15.0%offemales .

TABLE 9

Com p aris on of Male aDdUm a le ResPOOllesto WhetherAlcoho l Consu mptio n bad Caused Them to pamueThiogsinthe Past 12 Months

M

%

Yes 11.2

No 44.4

Don'tDrinkAlcohol 44.4 Note:x%-1.78,p > .05

N 2 8 8

% 10.0 65.0 25.0

N 2 13 5

No signifi can t genderdifferenceswere observedinreportsof whether alcohol conswnptionbadcausedthemtodamage thingsinthe past12 months .112%ofmaI es and10.0%of femaJesreported thattheybaddamagedthingswhiledrinkingalcoholin thepastyear.

TABL E10

Com pa riso nor MaleIud FemaleRespon ses toWhetherAlcoholConsumption had Causedthe mtoInjureThem selvqin thePut12Month,

Response M

% N % N

Yo, 5.6 1 30.0 6

No 44.4 8 45.0 9

Don 'tDrinkAlcoho l 50.0 9 25.0 5

Note:Xl=4.68.P> .OS

J2

Nosignifi cant gender differenceswereobservedinreportsof whether alcohol consumptionhadcausedthem10injure themselvesinthepast12 months.30.0%of femalesreponedthattheyhadinjuredthemse lveswhiledrinking alcoho linthepast12 months compared to 5.6% ofmales.

TABLE 11

Ptrctntage 'DdNu mber of M.ls an d Fem,l esReseeesesto Usingfak e IdentificationorLyingAboutTheirAge in Order to Get Alcohol In tbePast12

M

%

Yes 21.4

Onceor Twice 14.3 Threeor More Don'tDrinkAlcohol 64.3 Note:

? -

2.57,p>.OS

N 3 2

% 23.1 15.4 15.4 46.2

N 3 2 2 6

No significantgender differenceswereobservedinreports ofusing fakeidentificationor lying abouttheir ageinorderto receive alcohol.35.7%ofmalcs reponed usingfake identifi cationorlyingabouttheir ageinordertoreceivealcoholone or moretimesin the pastyearcomparedto53.9% offemales.

l3

ALCOH OLAND ITS' EfFECf ON SCHOOLLIfE

TAB LE12

Grnde rComparisonoCNumbcrGrOuses DevotedtoAltobol Educatio n* M

%

None )SJ

OneorTwo 29.4

ThreeorFour 23.5 Five or More 11.8 Note:Xl 1.47.p>.05

N 6 5 4 2

% 50.0 15.0 20.0 15.0

N 10 J 4 J

Nosigni fican t gender differenceswereobservedinreportsofnum ber ofjunior high classes devoted to alcoho leducation.35.3% of malesand50.0%offemales reponed that theydidnothave:anyclassesinthe schoolyear whichweredevotedto alcohol educa tio n.

64.7%ofmalesand 50.0%of fcmalesreportedhavin gODe:ormore classes de vo ted to alcohol education.

•Aclassisdefined asa fortyminuteperiodinagiven subject.

TABLE 13

Comn.mOD oeM.le and ftmalc:Respon ses to Wheth erTheir School bu • Rule Against Dri o king Alcoho lonScboo lPro pertyor atScboo lEvents Respo=

Yes Don'tKnow Note:

? ,.

.56,P>.05

% 88.2 11.8

M N IS 2

% 95.0

5.0 N 19

1

Nosigni ficantgenderdifferen ceswereobservedinreportsof whether the schoolhada ruleagainstdrinkingalcohol00schoo l propertyoratschool events.882% of malesand

95.0%offcmalesknewthatthe schoolhadaruleagainstdrinkingalco hol on property.

11.8%of malesand5.0% offemales did not know.

TABLE 14

ACompa riso nof tb~EfftttofAlco bolCODsum DtioD§tbool WorkBy Gend er

R.,.,.,=

^M

% N % N

Yes 5.' I

No 52.9

•

^{75.0 15}

Don' tDrinkAlcoho l 41.2 7 25.0 5

Note:x²-2.61,p>.05

No signi ficantgende r differe nce swere observedinreports of alcoh olconswnption bavingaffectedthe ir schoolworkorexams sothatthey didnot do as wellastheycould.

5.9010of males repon edthaialcohol consumptionbadaffected their schoolwork compared to 0.0%offemales.

"

CllAl'TERJ

=

nusstudy wascarried(lUItoinvestigare theprevalence.quantityandfrequency of aJ.coholusebyGrade9students inoneschoolinSt.John's,NF.The results ormisstudy foundtha1malesand females~edreportsignificantdifferencesinalcoho l consumption withinthepast12 months and 4 weeks.Noother significantgender differenceswereobserved.The results ofthe studysuggestthat the femalessurvey edin thisstudyweremore likelytodrinkalcohol than malessurveyed.This is in disagreement withthe 1996 NewfoundlandandLabrador StudentDrugUse Survey which observed thatmaleandfemale alcoho lconsumptionwithin the past 12monthswu58.5%of males and53.6%offemaIes.Theresultsofthisstudyreportthat75.0% offemalessurveyed compared to50.0% ofmalesSUJ"VeYedbadconsumed alcoho l oncea monthormorein thepast12months suggestingpossiblythatfemales in this groupsurveyedweremore likely todrinkalcoholthanthe males surveyed.

Thestudyfoundthatmalesand femalesrepon edsigni ficant differencesin frequencyof alcoho lconsumption withinthepast4weeks.33.4% of malescompared 10 55.0-;' of femalesreponed consuming alcohol oncecemorewithinthepast4 weeks.These findings areindisagreementwiththe 1996NewfoundlandandLabrador Student Drug UseSurveywhich reponed that males were more likelytohave consumed alcohol within thepast4weeks comparedtofemales (50.001.and28.0"/ .respectively).

Whilethe sample ofllUdcmsJUJ"Ve)'ed in thisstudyisDOCrqnsc:nwiveofthetotal adolescentpopulation.femalessurveyedreponedconsumingalcohol onmore occasions thanthemalessurveyed.

IMPUCA

nONS

Thestudyshows that a substantialproportionoftbegrade9students surveyed consumed alcoholduringthe past12months.It canbeconcludedthatagreaterproportion of studentsinthisstudy reporteddrinkingalcoholwithin the past 12months(69.80/. ) comparedtothe1996 Newfoundland and Labrador StudentDrugUseSurvey(56.0%) andthe1995 OntarioStudentDrugUse Survey (58.8%).Itis suggested thatschoo l administration,educecrs,counsellors, health pro fessionals,paren tsand adolescent sbe awareof this informationtohelpthemplan andevaluatealcoho l preventionand educationprograms.

Somefindingsof thisstudy, while not statisticall ysigni ficant,areimportantbecause:

they provideinsightintothelevelof alcohol consumptionby teenagerssurveyedin this study.35.0-.4 offe malesand16.SO,A.ofmales reportedbeingdrunkinthe4wedcs prior tothe study.Also,40.0-.4 of femalesrepon edconsuming morethanSalcoholicbeverages on the same occasioninthat sameperiodcompared to 22.3%of maIes.30.0% offemal es reported injuring themselveswhileconsuming alco holwithin thepast year compared to 5.6%ofmales.These resultssugge stthatfemales in thisgroup are more at risk in terms of their physical health duetotheir current levelofalcohol consu mptio n.The internfeels

31

thatthe results oflhis study indicate aneed to target studentsat thisjuniorhigh for alcohol education, Bygrade 9,a large number ofadolescents haveexperimentedwith alcohol and useitona regularbasis.Femalesappeartobeusing alcoholin a greater proportion.Identification of alcohol usage at the juniorhighsc:hoollevelmaybe necessaryin order toplanprevention programs atboththe junior and seniorhighlevels.

Itisalso suggestedthata coUaborativeapproach by the school,parents,students and the communityis neededinorder to decrease thelevel of alcohol consumption by adolescents.Harmreduction strategiescould be considered in an effort to decreasethe negative resultsof alcohol consumption.

RECOMMENPATIONS

Based upon the resultsfrom this survey,the intern proposesthefollowing recommendations:

Itis recommended that existingalcoholprevention/educationprogram s in the schoolbeevaluated.

2. Itisrecommended that the AJcohol Use Surveyberepea tedevery twoyears. 3. Itisrecommended that parents and adolescent s couldbeencouraged toparticipate

in developing or expandinguponexisting alcoholprevent ion/educationprograms.

4. Itisrecommendedthatalcoholconsumptionbystudentsbe assessedprior to grade 9in order toidentify previouslevelsof alcoholconsumption.

5. Althoughthesample for this studyrepresentsonlygrade9 studentssurv eyedin oneschoo l.the resultsdopoint totheneed forfuture researchinthisareawhich wouldlnc:ludeabroadersample.

"

, .

CHAPTER.

THE INTERNSHIP gPERIENCE-A REFLECIJYt JOURNAL

ThefoUowingjournalisaninfonnalmeansby which tofocusandre-focus upon internshipgoals &Ddobjectives.Atthecompletion or each ofthe tenweeks.the intern analyzed progressallowingher to criticallyevaluate perfonnance.redirectcompetencies.

anddevelopabilitiestobecome acompetentandprofessional counsellor.

WukI (April14-11 199D

Ihada meetingwithmy on-sitesupervisorconcerningthe study I had developed tobe implementedinthe internshipsetting.A tentative time wasplanned toadminister the survey.Also•• timewasplanned inord~toinform thestudents about theimportanceof the.rudy.

One ofthemajorgoalsfortheweek was to become familiarwiththeeducational assessmentsin theguidance office.Ispent •number arbours afterschoolreading about theuses,procedures.,reliabilityandvalidityoftheseassessments.IfeltIneededasolid understandingof theassessmentsinorder to develop analysis skills.

Duringthenights,Iresearched thearea of sexual abuse.Iwasespeciallyinterestedin different counsellingapproacheswhichwouldbebeneficiaJ incounsellingadolescent!

'0

who had been sexually abused.From this experience. it became obvious

that

I needed to spend much more time exploring this area because of

the

nature of

theproblem.It

is a

top icwhichIwill need to continue to research duringthecourseof my internship.

Week 2 (Aprill.

-

2~,1997)

During this weekIspent a considerable amountoftime reviewi ngthe BoardPolicies and Procedures Manual.This manual helped me to become familiarwith theroles and responsibilities of counsellors, teachers

and

administration as well.Ifelt that a review of thismanual wasneeded

in order to build upon my university

"knowledge" of the role of a

guidancecounsellorand the School Board's

description ofthe roleand responsibilities of

a guidance counsellor. From thisexerciseit

became apparentthatmy own view of the role ofacounsellorwas thevery similar tothe views expressed in thismanual.

I

spent somet

imethis week becoming acquainted

with the

~

Career Program. I felt it

was

important to go through this program myself so that

I

could have a first

hand

knowledgeof

the computer

program.

I thinkthis is a very useful

tool for students to use

tohelpthem developtentativecareerpaths andareas ofinterest.

During this week

I

wasinvited

by

my on-site supervisorto visit local organizations and

agencies

and

collect pertinent information in the form of pamphlets, books, and packages

which could

be

displayed in the guidance room. This was a

very useful exercise to

complete as I will

need

to constantly update my guidance room throughout my career.

whichcouldbedisplayedin the guidanceroom. Thiswasaveryusefulexerciseto completeas I willneedto constantlyupdate my guidance roomthroughoutmy career.

Wttk J (ApriI28-Ma yt199TI

This week[wasaskedto assistinsupervisingtheNati onalMathAssessment. Ihad

~ouslyreadalltheinformationthatmy on-sitesupervisorhadreceived andas a result.Iwasfamiliarwiththeprocedureandimportanceof this cross-countrysurvey.

Iresearchedtheareas of effectivedecisionmakingskills.testanxiety,andconfl ict resolutioninaneffort to incorporatethisknowledgeintomy rousellingsessions.Asa ti.atun:counsellor,Iam.becoming increasinglyaware oCthe importanee of ongoing research into new topicsas they arise.I feelthatlife long learning willhelpme tobea progressiveguidance counsellor.

[discovered the importance of consultationthis week.Consultationis an on-going activitythatwillprove tobeimmenselybeneficial to me as a novice counsellor.

However.consultationremainsanimportantactivity regardless ofthenumber ofyears onehascounselled.

41

42

Week4<May 6 -? I92D

This week Iwasasked toattendandbecome involvedinongoingmeetingsconc erni ng students whowererequiredtoartendSummer School. lleamcd from thisexperience that this is a verygoodwayforthe guidancecounsellortogaininformatioaconcerning studentswho maybeinneedofguidanceservices.Tbesemeetingsprovided an exce llent oppo nunityto discuss students'academicandsocial deve lopmentina relativel y sho n periodof time.Inthisway.students are identifiedwho mayavailof co unse Uin gor referral services.

Iwasalsoinvitedto accompanythe on-sitesupervisor tovario us feede rschools.The purpose of these visitsisto helpthe studentsintheir transition from elementary schoo lto juniorhigh byprovidingtbem.withve rbalandpictorial material regarding thenewschoo l they wouldbeattending.Italso ga vethemanoppo nunityto ask anyquesti onstheymight have.

W~k5<May12-16 t99D

Thisweek started out with a meeting with a grade 9 student,hisparentsandteachers.

Thepurpo se ofthe meetingwasto developstrategi esto assistthestudentwithareadi ng disabilityinhisdayto day schoolactivitiesandclasses.[decidedtofunherresearchthe area oflearning disab ilities during theweeknights . Thisresearchena bledmeto have more in-depthdiscussionswithteachersandcounse llorsregarding thisparticular student'sproblem.

Throughoutthisweek,Ibegancounselling a student whowasbavingdifficulty controlling his anger.Having previouslyworkedwithyoung offenders. Ibadsome experienceincounselling adolescentswithanger managementdifficulties.I became aware of programswhichcouJdbeusedtohelpyoung peoplewithaggressiveandviolent tendencies.Thishasbecomean area which I amvery interestedinpursuing.Ihope to becomearegistered psychologistspecializinginworkingwithadolescentswhohave violentoraggressive tendencies.Iexpectthatmywork.as aguidance counsellorwill pro videmewitha solidfoundation uponwhichto buildafuturecareer as apsych ol o gist.

Wnk 6CMay19- 23I99D

Thisweekbeganwitha discussionconcerning school violence.Idecidedto become reacquaintedwiththeschool' spolicyconcemi.ng violenceandtheBoard'spolicy concerning reporting abuse ofa studentbya student, This knowledgeofthepolici es helpedme to make more informed judgementsinmy counse llingsessio ns.

Laterintheweek- Ibecamefamiliarwitha varietyof tbe services which theJaneway Hospitalofferssuch as familycounsell ing. Referringa familytobewaidistedforsuc h a service canbehelpful toaUindividualsinvolved.Ihadthe opportunitytotalkto a student andhis parentsregardingthis service. Allwere inagreementthatthe counselling sessionshelped themtogetthrough adifficulttime inthelife ofthefamily.

Wnk7 <May 26 30 l?9D

Thiswoeekbegan with a class visit totheMarineInsti tute.Iwasaskedto helpsupervise the visit. Much of the remainder ofthe weekwasspentadministeringandscoring assessments.andwriting reports.Ongoingconsultationwith my on-sitesupervisor hel ped keepme on track.Ialsoparticipatedincase conferences where assessment results were repon edto students, parents .andteac he rs.Ifeelthat these expe rienc eshelpedme to becomefamiliarwithassessmentinterpre tationprocedureswithparents.teachers. and students.However.Idorealizethat only experience gained by completingassessment as a guidance counsellor willhelp me to become more proficientinthisarea.

Wnk 8 (JuU 2 6 192D

Thisweekbegan with administerin g theStuden t Alco holSurvey,collectingdataand bavin g ongoingcons ultationwithmy on-sitesupervisorandfacul ty advisor.

Iwasinvitedtoattend ameetingwiththe itinerant teecber for visuallyimpairedstudents concerning a new studentwhowouldbe attending the schoolinthe upcoming school year.This was averyinformative sessio n for mebecause myknowledgeinthis area was limited.Ilearnedthe differentways that teachers can helpvisuallyimpairedstude nts in theirclassrooms. Forexamp le.large printbooks.moving tothefrontoftheclass , etc.

With eachpassin gdayI became increasingly awareof thedutiesandresponsibilities of a guidancecounsellor in the school setting.

"

[alsoattendedmeetingswithsocialworkerswhovisitedtheschoolconcem.i.Dgvarious issuesconfro ntingparticularstUdents. From this (became aware:cfbow myown counsellingskillscan providesupportforstudentswho are experiencingdifficultiesin their personal lives .

Week9 (June9-1.1199V

This weekbeganwithmeetingwithteacherstodiscussthespecial needsof stUdents pertainingtotestingsituations.[ helpedsuperviseexamsandassistedstudentswho requiredreading.saibingor anexplanati o n oftestquesti ons.Thisopponunitygave me a chance[Qseereport recommendationsputintoaction.Ithoroughlyenjoyedtheone-on- one experiencewithstudentsandsawfirsthandbowthistypeofaccommodation helped studentswithspecial needs.Theyreceived the extra timeand helpthey neededinorder to completeexams.

Week 10(Ju De16-20199D

Thisweek beganwithameetingwithan educati onal psycholo gistconcerningthe assessment ofastudentwhobad difficul tywithphonetics .This meetingwasnecessary tohelpplace the studentinan appropriate programinthe next schoolyear.Through this experience,Ibecamemore familiarwithIndividualProgramPlans andhowI.P.P.'s are developed.1be remainderof the weekwas spentcompletin g assessmentsandwriting

"PO"' .

Teo weeks have comeand gone!I amamazed with howmuchIhavebeenableto experiencelDdlearnduringmy internship.Ihave00doubtsc:oncaningtheimportance o(the intemship experience.Throughoutthis placement I havebeenchallenged to translatecounselling theories into practice(praxis).However,undertheguidance or my supavisor I have learnedthattheofystudied in university canbeused in different ways depending uponthe studentaodthepresentingproblem.Some ortbe situationsIhadto dealwith presented me with challengingethicalissues especiallycasesdeal ingwith abuse.However, Iwas able to draw on myethicaltheory and the experienceormy supervisorincomingtoterms with theseissues.I knowthat Ichosetheappropri aterou te whichwiUhelp mebeboth •competent and prcfessi e nal counse llor.It wasa whirlwind tenweeks! I

round

itbothfulfillingand difficultto say good-bye to studentsandschool personnel.Ihave beenveryrortunate to haveworkedwithsuchhighly competent indivi dual s. However,my greatest thanks ismendedtothestudents who haveaccepted me as aguidancecounsellor.I dedicate myfuturecareer tothem.

REFERENCES

Adler.E-his.F.•Smart.R.andWalsh. G.(1995).OntarioStudentDrugUse Survey 1.21Z::..l22.'-.Addiction Research Foundation ofOnwio:Toronto.Ontario.

Corey,G. (1996).Coupsc l!jngChildren. (Silled.)Pacific Grove.CA:Broo ks/Cole PublishingCompaDY.

Drug Dependency Servi ces.Challenge theMyths About Alco holUse.Department of HealthandWelfare.SLJohn'sRegion. Southco tl Hal1.[Dateunavail able).

Facul tyof Education(1996).The Handbook: forGraduate Students_Memo rial University ofNF.St.John's.NF.

Genaux, M..Morgan.,D.•andFriedman.S.(199 5).Substan ce Use andIts Prevention: A Swvcy of Classroom Practices.BehavjgralDisordc[120(4), 279 - 289.

Glikson, L.•and Venesocn. P.(1990). Substance-SpecificHealth Promotion PrognunminginOntario:A Summary ReportofaKey Informant Survey. Addictio n Researc h Foundation.

..

Hawkins.J..Lishner.D.,Catalano, R..and Ho ward, M.(1985).ChildhoodPredictorsof AdolescentSubswIcc Abuse:Toward an EmpiricallyGrounded Theory.l2!!ImJ.

ofCbildren in Contemporary Society 18(112),II -48.

Health andWelfareCanada (19 89 )Highlights:Alcohol andOtherOnJgs Usedby CanadianYouth. A Nat jonalAlcoholandOther[)rugs SurveyReeort.Canada.

HealthandWelfareCanada(1990).NationalAlcohol and Other DrugSwyerRepon.

Canada.

HealthandWelfare Canada (1990).StraightfactsAbout Drugs and Drug Abuse.

Minister of SupplyandServices.Canada.

Health and WelfareCanada(t 992).How Effective AreAlco hol and Other Drug Preventionand Treatment

Programs.

Heal th PromotionsStudiesUniL Minister of SupplyandServices Canada.

Johnston.L,O'Malley,P.•andBac.hman.l.(1989). Natio nal lnsti tute cfDrug Abuse.

[)rug AbusePrinkin gand Smoking:National Results fromHigh School.

College.and Young Adul tPopulatio ns.DHHS Publishe rs. USA.

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McCamey, S.•Cwrunins--Wunderlic:h,K..andBauer.A.(199 3).The Pre-Reffera!

lnte1'Yention ManuaL Hawthorne EducationalServices Inc.

Moskowitz.J.(1989) ThePrimaryPreventionor Alcohol Problems:A Critical Review ofLiterature.Journalof studies onAlcohol50.S4-58.

Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health(1996).Newfoundlandand Labrador StudentDrugUseSurvey.Addiction Services.

Pentz,M.•Dwyer.J..MacKinnon. D., (1989). AMulticommunityTrialforPrimary PreventionofAdolescen tDrugAbuse:EffectsonDrugUse Prevalence.~ oCtbeAmerican Medical AMOCjation.261.June, 3259 -3266.

RoyalCanadian MountedPolice (1992).TwctWay Strm..inConjunctionwiththe Alberta AlcoholandDrug Abuse Commission,Canada.

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USA.

Schaps.E.,DiBanolo.R..Moskowitz,J.•Palley,C.•and Churgin. S. (1991).A Review of127DrugAbuse Prevention Evaluations.JournalQf DrugIssues12.353-364.

so

Staulop,H..Kenward,K..andFrigo.D.(1979).A ReviewofFederalPrimary AlcoholismPreventionProjects.Journalof Studjes onAJcoho l 40.943-968.

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u.s.

Secretary'sTaskForce (1989).YouthandSuicide.AQAMHANews9(7).1-2.

APPENDlX A: Add itio aa l Readin gsCompldedDuringInternsbip

"

"

ADOmONAL READINCS

Abrams. G.,andSclunjdt.F.(1978).Activities for Explori ngConflictand Aggression.

J.WestonWaIsb:. Publisher.Portland. Maine,USA.

Ack erman..R.(19 83).ChildrenofAlcoholi

cs

^=AGuide Book for Educators Therapim andParents.LearningPublications. Inc.Florida. USA.

Adcl,L..Nevin.A.,andPaolucc i-\Vh.itco m b.P.(1996).Mod e ls of Curriculum-Based

~.Aspen Publishers. Inc .

AvalonConsolidatedSchoo lBoard(1996). Policiesand Procedures Man ual.Student SupportServices.

Banas.,N.andWills.I.(1985) WIse Prescriptions.AcademicTherapyPublicati o ns.

CA.USA.

Bader,P.(1986)Basic Child Psychiatry BlackwellScience,USA.

Buchanan,A.(1991)Depression"WhatYouNes;dTo Know.The Mood Disorder Service.Universityof BritishColumbia.

Clark,A.(1991).The Identificationand Modi fication of DefenseMechanisms in COW1SClling.JournalofCounsellingand[)evs;lopmeoL69.231-236.

Clark. A. (199 5).Projective Techniquesinthe Counselling Process.~ Counselling and Development.73, 311-316.

Cockrane.M. (1994).Treating CompulsiveBehavior. Self-Examination and Natwal Eating.~29(2),6-7.

"

Community ServicesCouncil(1990) AGuide to SmjcesandResourcesTheWorking Grooupon Child Sexual Abuse.Virginia Park Plaza.

Depanmentof JusticeCanada(1989).Can ada'slawonChildSexual Abuse-Minister of Sup ply and Services.Canada.

Driscoll.J.(1992).KeepingCovenantsandConfiden cesSacred:One Point ofView.

JouroaJ ofCounsel!jngand Developme nt.23,704-108.

Edelson.S.(1995). Aspergg'sSYndrome.Center fortheStudyof Autism. OR..USA.

Eggert,L.(1994)Anger Management for

Youth"

StemmipgAggression andViolence.

National EducationalService,Bloomin gton,Indiana.USA.

54

France. M.•Cadieax,L,and Allan. E.(1995) Letter Therapy: AModelfor Enhan cin g CounsellingIntervention.Journal ofCounse lling and Developm em73.31 7-318.

Frender, G.(1990 ). Learning to Learn: StrenghtheningStudy Skills and Brain Power . Ince ntive Publications.Inc.•TN. USA.

Gibson.R.•andMitchell.M.(1995).Introduction toCounse lling and Guidance Prentice -Hal l.Inc.,NItUSA.

Hamachek,D.(1995). Self-Concept and SchoolAchieveme nt: Interacti onDynamic s andaTool forAssessing the Self-Concept Com ponent. Journal of Counse lling and Developm ent 73,419-425.

Kaufman.R.(1976). ident ifyingandSolving Probl em s:A SystemsApproach.

Universityof Asscca tions,USA.

Kerr.I.and Skol l,R.(199 1). CharacteristicsCommon toFemaleswho Exhibit Anorexic or BulimicBeha vior.JournalofClinicaI Psychol ogy47(6),846-853.

KIm.A.,Volkmar. F.(1995).Asperge rSyndro me:Some Guidelines forAssessment.

Diagnosi sand Intervention.Learning DisabilitiesAssociation of AmericaUSA.

ss

Littrell,L,Malia.L,and Vanderwood., M.(1995 ).Single-Sess ionBriefCoWlSellingin a HighSchool.

Journal

ofCounse llingandDeveIQpment.73.451458.

MacDocaldDriveJuniorHighSchool (199 3).leami ngDisabilitiesAwareness.SL Iohn' s.NF.

MacDonaldDriveJuniorHighSchool(1996).Codeo( Cooduct for StudenVi.SLJohn's, NF.

McCamey,S.,Cummins- W under lich..K..andBauer.A.(1993).ThePre-Referral Interv ention Manual. HawthorneEducational Services.Inc.

Mercalf.L. (1995)CQUDK!!jngTowardsSolutions.TheCenterfor Applied Researchin Education.,West Nyack. NY,USA.

Morgan.0..andJenso n, W.(19 83).Teaching Behaviorally Disordered Students.

Columbus.Ohio.Merrill PublishingCompany.

Myrick.R..and Folk. B.(1991 ) The PreventionorEam ily Distress.Minneapolis,MN:

Educational MediaCorporation.

S6

Newfe ld,J.andFerrer.P.(1993 ).A Survey of theExpressed Concerns of Early Adolescents.~28(1).lo-19.

Newfoundl andandLabndorDepartmentofEducation(1993).Senior High Pathways' Students WithExceprionaliri

es .

Division ofStuden t Support Services. NF.

Canada

O'Brien.L. (1981). IearnjngChannelPreferen ce.Specific Diagnostics.,Inc.Rockville, Maryland, USA.

O'Reilly,J.and Hynes.l. (1992).Peer CounsellingTraini ng Manual. TanCounselling Srvices,NF.

Pbillips.L..Ringrosc.P.•andWinter,M.(1989).AskMe No Ouesrlons. Prentice-Hall.

Canada

ReiC.S.(1993).How To Teachand Rc;achADDJADHPChildren.The Centerfor Applied ResearchinEducation.West Nyack.NY. USA.

Sattler,J.(1992)As ses sm e ntof Childre nJero me M. Sattler,Publisher,Inc.San Diego.

USA.

Snyder.C.(1995).Conceptualizing. MeasuringandNurtUrin g Hope .~ CounsellingandDeve lopmen t.13.355-360.

Thompson. C..and Rudolph.L.(1996) Counsell ing(;bUm.Broo ks/C ole Publishing Company,CA. USA.

TcuretteSyndro me Foundatio n ofCanada(1992)Thurm;:Syndrome: Information for

~.Toro nto.Ontario.Canada.

Tucker.J.(1985) Curri c ul um - Based Assessment:An Introduction.Exceptional Qli!l!!m.52(3),199-204.

Tureen. S.(1989)The Pjffifu ltCbild.. BantamBooks.Canada.

Weaver.J.(199 Sl.DiSMt:£CMental Health InterventionProfessional ResourcePress.

FL..USA.

Workshop(1996) given byJam es OgIoff;LegaJandEthica.llssuesfor Men talHealth Professi on s SummaryNotes. J Ogloff AssociateProfesso r at Simon Fraser University, Canada.

"

Zionts,P.,and Simpson, R. (1988)UnderstandingChildrenandYouthWith Emotional and Behavioral Problems:A Handbook for Parents and Professionals.Pro-Ed Inc.•TIC.USA.

"

APPENDIX 8:Stu.dy Drug Use Su.rvey

STUDENTDRUG USE SURVEY

I. Ane)'OUmale orfmWe?

A.Male B.FeuWe

2- What gradeare youin?

A. Grade 7 D.Gr.ode10 Leve1

B.Grade 8 E.Grade11Leve1

n

c.

^{Grade9 F.}Grade12Level

m

3. How oldan: you?

A. 11 yearsold or younger F. 16 yeanold 8.12yearsold G.17 yearsold.

C.13yearsold EL18 yean:old D.14yearsold L 19)'CUScwo1dc:r E.IS yearsold

4. How man,oryour friends use Alcobol?

A. None D.M= thanhalf

B.Afew E.All

C.Abouthalf