NURS 6640 Week 6 Assignment: Psychotherapy for Addictive Disorders

NURS 6640: Psychotherapy With Individuals | Week 6

“A long-standing debate has roiled over whether addicts have a choice over their behaviors. The disease creates distortions in thinking, feelings, and perceptions, which drive people to behave in ways that are not understandable to others around them. Simply put, addiction is not a choice. Addictive behaviors are a manifestation of the disease, not a cause.”

–Dr. Raju Hajela, former president of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine

A common misconception is that addiction is a choice, and addicts are often labeled as individuals who lack morals, willpower, or responsibility. However, addiction is a clinical disorder that must be treated with the support of a health care professional. Although many people who are exposed to potentially addictive substances and behaviors continue life unaltered by their experiences, some people are fueled by these experiences and spiral out of control. In your role as the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, you must be prepared to not only work with these individuals who struggle with addiction, but also help them and their families overcome the social stigmas associated with addictive behavior.

This week, as you explore psychotherapy for addiction, you assess clients presenting with addictive disorders. You also examine therapies for treating these clients and consider potential outcomes. Finally, you develop diagnoses for clients receiving psychotherapy and consider legal and ethical implications of counseling these clients.

Assignment 1: Assessing Clients With Addictive Disorders

Addictive disorders can be particularly challenging for clients. Not only do these disorders typically interfere with a client’s ability to function in daily life, but they also often manifest as negative and sometimes criminal behaviors. Sometime clients with addictive disorders also suffer from other mental health issues, creating even greater struggles for them to overcome. In your role, you have the opportunity to help clients address their addictions and improve outcomes for both the clients and their families. For this Assignment, as you examine the Levy Family video in this week’s Learning Resources, consider how you might assess and treat clients presenting with addiction.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Assess clients presenting with addictive disorders
• Analyze therapeutic approaches for treating clients with addictive disorders
• Evaluate outcomes for clients with addictive disorders

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide.
• Review the Levy Family video Episodes 1 through 5.

The Assignment (NURS 6640 Week 6 Assignment: Psychotherapy for Addictive Disorders)

In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:

• After watching Episode 1, describe:
  • What is Mr. Levy’s perception of the problem?
  • What is Mrs. Levy’s perception of the problem?
  • What can be some of the implications of the problem on the family as a whole?
• After watching Episode 2, describe:
  • What did you think of Mr. Levy’s social worker’s ideas?
  • What were your thoughts of her supervisor’s questions about her suggested therapies and his advice to Mr. Levy’s supervisor?
• After watching Episode 3, discuss the following:
  • What were your thoughts about the way Mr. Levy’s therapist responded to what Mr. Levy had to say?
  • What were your impressions of how the therapist worked with Mr. Levy? What did you think about the therapy session as a whole?
  • Informed by your knowledge of pathophysiology, explain the physiology of deep breathing (a common technique that we use in helping clients to manage anxiety). Explain how changing breathing mechanics can alter blood chemistry.
  • Describe the therapeutic approach his therapist selected. Would you use exposure therapy with Mr. Levy? Why or why not? What evidence exists to support the use of exposure therapy (or the therapeutic approach you would consider if you disagree with exposure therapy)?
• In Episode 4, Mr. Levy tells a very difficult story about Kurt, his platoon officer.
  • Discuss how you would have responded to this revelation.
  • Describe how this information would inform your therapeutic approach. What would you say/do next?
• In Episode 5, Mr. Levy’s therapist is having issues with his story.
  • Imagine that you were providing supervision to this therapist, how would you respond to her concerns?
• Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

Note: The School of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements (available at http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/57.htm). All papers submitted must use this formatting.

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment.

Exam: Midterm Exam

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Assess knowledge of concepts and principles related to the psychotherapy of individuals

This exam is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam. No outside resources including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource are to be used to complete this exam. You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct.

This exam will cover the following topics, which relate to psychotherapy with individuals in the Wheeler textbook and the Fisher textbook excerpts:

• The Nurse Psychotherapist and a Framework for Practice
• Confidentiality Limits in Psychotherapy: Ethics Checklists for Mental Health Professionals
• Assessment and Diagnosis
• The Initial Contact and Maintaining the Frame
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Supportive and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
• Stabilization for Trauma and Dissociation
• Motivational Interviewing
• Psychotherapeutic Approaches for Addictions and Related Disorders

By Day 7

Complete the Midterm Exam.

Assignment 2: Practicum – Week 6 Journal Entry (NURS 6640 Week 6 Assignment: Psychotherapy for Addictive Disorders)

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Develop diagnoses for clients receiving psychotherapy*
• Evaluate the efficacy of motivational interviewing techniques for clients*
• Analyze legal and ethical implications of counseling clients with psychiatric disorders*

* The Assignment related to this Learning Objective is introduced this week and submitted in Week 7.

Select a client whom you observed or counseled this week. Then, address the following in your Practicum Journal:

• Describe the client (without violating HIPAA regulations) and identify any pertinent history or medical information, including prescribed medications.
• Using the DSM-5, explain and justify your diagnosis for this client.
• Explain whether motivational interviewing would be effective with this client. Include expected outcomes based on this therapeutic approach. Support your approach with evidence-based literature.
• Explain any legal and/or ethical implications related to counseling this client.

By Day 7 of Week 7

Submit your Assignment. NURS 6640 Week 6 Assignment: Psychotherapy for Addictive Disorders