Week 5 Discussion Response To Classmates

Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resource on your own before you bid. Main references come from Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2018) and/or American Psychiatric Association. (2013). You need to have scholarly support for any claim of fact or recommendation regarding treatment. I have also attached my discussion rubric so you can see how to make full points. Please respond to all 3 of my classmates separately with separate references for each response. You need to have scholarly support for any claim of fact or recommendation like peer-reviewed, professional scholarly journals. If you draw from the internet, I encourage you to use websites from the major mental health professional associations (American Counseling Association, American Psychological Association, etc.) or federal agencies (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), etc.). I need this completed by 03/30/19 at 3pm.

Expectation:

Responses to peers. Note that this is measured by both the quantity and quality of your posts. Does your post contribute to continuing the discussion? Are your ideas supported with citations from the learning resources and other scholarly sources? Note that citations are expected for both your main post and your response posts. Note also, that, although it is often helpful and important to provide one or two sentence responses thanking somebody or supporting them or commiserating with them, those types of responses do not always further the discussion as much as they check in with the author. Such responses are appropriate and encouraged; however, they should be considered supplemental to more substantive responses, not sufficient by themselves.

Read a your colleagues’ postings. Respond to your colleagues’ postings.

Respond in one or more of the following ways:

· Ask a probing question.

· Share an insight gained from having read your colleague’s posting.

· Offer and support an opinion.

· Validate an idea with your own experience.

· Make a suggestion.

· Expand on your colleague’s posting.

1. Classmate (D. Ras)

Description of Two Assessment Tools 

There are many screening and assessment tools in the addiction field that can be helpful and effective. These two things are not the same process. Screening points the counselor in the right direction, but the assessment “defines the nature of the problem and assists in developing specific treatment recommendations for addressing the problem” (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018, p.300). One assessment tool known by some as the “stealth assessment” is the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). This is is a brief self-report, easily administered psychological screening measure that is available in separate versions for adults and adolescents (Miller, 1990). Some of the True/False statements in this assessment have nothing to do with substance abuse. For example, “I am often resentful” and “I like to obey the law” (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). These subtle statements help determine whether the person taking the assessment fits the profile of a chemically dependent person in areas such as “defensiveness, willingness to acknowledge problematic behavior, depressed affect, and likelihood of legal problems” (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018, p.302).

Another assessment tool is the Comprehensive Addictions and Psychological Evaluation (CAAPE) which is a practical tool used to assess co-occurring disorders all in one instrument (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). This assessment is done through an interview process which takes approximately 30-45 minutes (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018).  It provides qualified professionals with a standardized set of questions which elicits information that may be used in “treatment planning and possibly for motivational enhancement” (Hoffman, 2004, p.1). It covers disorders including: alcohol/tobacco/drug use, depression, mania, panic/anxiety, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychosis, and a wide range of personality disorders (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018).

Description of One Strength & One Shortcoming of Each 

Miller(1990) discussed how most other current substance abuse screening instruments are rationally constructed, meaning lacking in empirical evidence. However, one strength of the SASSI is that the items listed on this assessment were all borrowed from other empirically derived scales such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Miller, 1990). A limitation of the SASSI is there is no empirical evidence that supports its claimed unique advantage to assess substance use with its “subtle statements” which are intended to get around someone’s denial or dishonesty (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018).

Hoffman (2004) found a strength of the CAAPE is that it has practical utility as an assessment tool in substance abuse evaluations with its acronym UNCOPE. The UNCOPE consists of six questions found in existing instruments and assorted research reports (Hoffman, 2004). Although it efficiently screens for co-occurring mental health and personality disorders, evidence of validity is needed to support any greater use in such assessments (Hoffman, 2004). Another limitation is there is not one question on gambling behavior, along with having costs associated with accessing this tool (Van Wormer, 2018).