Module 1 Transparencies and Resource Sheets
Roles and Attitudes-ATOD
Problem Prevention
Workshop Goal
Upon completion of the workshop, counselors should
have an increased under-standing of their role and attitudes toward
ATOD, knowledge about prevention and addiction, and the skills
to be able to detect and appropriately refer clients with ATOD
problems.
Module 1 Learning Objectives
- Actively participate in a learning community.
- Describe attitudes about ATOD that may affect
counseling.
- Identify strategies for changing attitudes about
ATOD.
- Describe the counselor's role in providing primary
prevention through healthy lifestyle behaviors and early identification
of ATOD problems.
![](IMG00014.GIF)
Created by Manny Brandt, 1993 Copyright
Created by Manny Brandt, 1993 Copyright
Examples of Group Principles
- Begin/end on time
- Quiet please when hand goes up
- No smoking in meetings
- Present all sessions
- 1 talk at a time
- Okay to express yourself
- No put-down's
- Ask for what you want
- Option to pass
- Tell us if you leave
- Move from "I" to "we"
- Have fun!
Concept of Primary Prevention
- Aimed at healthy people and/or those at risk
for the development of problems associated with ATOD.
- Involves health promotion activities, education,
risk reduction, and risk avoidance.
- Involves strengthening healthy behaviors.
- Optimal outcome is an increase in people's capacity
for dealing constructively with crises and for taking steps to
improve their own lives.
Paradigm Shift
Implications for Providers
- Function as facilitators
- Give up power/control
- Takes more time
- Let go of expert role
- Humility
- Share successes
- Build/reinforce capacity
The Counselor's Role
- Prevention
- Early screening and identification
- Intervention and referral
Attitudes Toward Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Problems
Negative Attitudes Toward ATOD
- Alcohol or drug-dependent patients are the dregs of society.
- Alcoholics and addicts are self-destructive individuals who
deserve what they get.
- Drug or alcohol abuse is a social or legal problem, not a
medical one.
- Management of ATOD disorders is a complex job requiring special
skills that I do not have.
- Alcohol and other drug abusers are not interested in treatment.
- There is little chance of recovery from alcohol or drug abuse.
- Alcoholics and addicts cause intolerable harm to their families,
communities, and society and do not deserve our help.
- Helping alcohol and other drug abusers is an enormously time-consuming
job with little chance of success.
Effects of Negative Attitudes About ATOD
Negative attitudes influence
- Kinds of services available, offered, or recommended
- Access to services
- Perception of client's motivation
- Optimism for healing
- Level of empathy
- Number and quality of counselor/client interactions
Strategies for Changing Attitudes
- Awareness
- Understanding the disease concept
- Understanding the addiction process
- Letting go of judgments
- Working through feelings about personal/family ATOD problems
- Understanding the value of prevention
- Understanding one's personal value as a resource in combatting
ATOD problems
- Supporting healthy lifestyle behaviors as a first step in
prevention
- Recognizing that ATOD problem prevention is targeted to all
people, not just users
Imagery Discussion Questions
- What kind of person did you see?
- How many saw people you knew? How many saw strangers?
- Does anyone want to share the details of how this person appeared?
- How did you feel?
- How many imagined a drunk? How many imagined an addict?
- How many saw men?
- How many saw older or middle-aged people?
- What did you anticipate would happen?
- How did you feel?
- What did you decide to do?
- How did you complete the situation?