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| Chemical Dependence Lifestyle Assessment Inte |
| Columns - Assessment Tools | |
| Friday, 31 May 2002 | |
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This assessment interview is suggested by the ideas of Alfred Adler regarding assessment of the client's lifestyle to promote meaningful, goal-directed, and socially conscious therapeutic interventions with clients. This lifestyle interview is designed to query clients about their current life situation, their situation relative to the life tasks, family constellation, and early recollections regarding the use and effects of substance(s). Client responses should provide insight into major life themes for the client, including the client's motivational system, main issues, concerns, and future goals, which should provide guidance in the development of effective therapeutic interventions. Although the interview has Adlerian underpinnings, it can be used by therapists with different theoretical orientations. Presenting Problem & Life Situation1. What is/are the role(s) of substance(s) in your current life? 2. How would you describe your current relationship to substance(s)? 3. Where do substance(s) fit into your daily routine? Weekly routine? Monthly routine? 4. When do you use substance(s)? In what situations? 5. Where do you use substance(s)? With whom do you use substance(s)? 6. What happens when you use substance(s)? How do you behave after you use substance(s)? 7. How do you feel before you use substance(s)? How do you feel afterward? Life Tasks (Love, Work, Friendship & Community) 8. How has using substance(s) affected: Your relationship with your partner? Your sexual relationship with your partner? 9. What is your goal relative to the use of substance(s) and your relationships with your partner? 10. How has using substance(s) affected: Your work-life? Relationships with co-workers? Your ability to perform job responsibilities? 11. What would you like to change about your use of substance(s) and your work-life? 12. How has using substance(s) affected your relationships with friends? 13. As a result of using substance(s): Have you gained any new friendships? Have you lost any friends? 14. What kind of friends have you gained as a result of your use of substance(s)? 15. How has using substance(s): Facilitated your ability to make friends? Hampered your ability to make friends? 16. What goal(s) do you have to change the relationship between your use of substance(s) and your friendships? Early Recollections 17. What is your first memory of seeing an important adult using substance(s)? What happened? How did you react? How did you feel? How did other persons important to you react? 18. What is/are your earliest recollection(s) of seeing a peer using substance(s)? What happened? How did you react? How did you feel? How did other persons important to you react? 19. What is/are your earliest recollection(s) of your first exposure to substance(s)? What thoughts did you have? 20. What is/are your earliest recollection(s) of using substance(s)? Who was with you? What happened? How did you feel? 21. What is/are your earliest recollections of the consequences of your use of substance(s)? What happened? Family Constellation (Parents, Other Adults, Childhood Milieu) 22. What substance(s) were available in the family home? 23. What were the attitudes of your parents toward substance(s)? 24. What was each parent's relationship to substance(s)? 25. [For each parent] How did you feel about this relationship? 26. What role did substance(s) play in the lives of adults who were important to you as a child? 27. What did they say about substance(s)? 28. Did they share substance(s) with you? 29. How did your peers react to substance(s)? 30. What was the role of substance(s) in your peer group? 31. How did substance(s) figure into socialization? Dating? School? Making friends? Summary of Major Themes: (1) Interviewer should identify and record major themes in the lifestyle relative to use and effects of substance(s). (2) Evaluate early recollections to see client's perceived relationship to substance(s) and the life tasks and identify client's "basic convictions" and client "belief system:" rewards, punishments, gains, loses, relationship changes, etc. (3) Search for themes that indicate potentially useful therapeutic interventions, such as whether social interest can be tapped to reduce desire for substance(s), whether the client has identified goals for quitting use of substance(s), and whether the client can see the consequences of substance use on the life tasks and current life situation. Sylvia Kay Fisher is a research psychologist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. She was formerly a therapist who has extensive experience with gay and lesbian clients. Ronnie Fisher is a professor of psychology at Miami-Dade Community College. Previously, he was a social worker and counselor.              |
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