Title: FESAT Workshop 3: Young People, Parents, Cannabis and Helplines
1FESAT Workshop 3Young People, Parents,
Cannabis and Helplines
- Counselling, Brief intervention
- Chris Murphy (Ireland)
2A help-call arrives
3A help-call via
4A help-call from
5Types of enquiry
- Request for information
- 2. Wants to talk / Seeking guidance
- 3. Wants to meet a counsellor ( referral)
61. Request for Information
- SMS (txt) Automated response
- Phone personal, brief response
- 3. Web Live Person brief reply
7SMS replies 2006
Other
Cannabis
Hash
Coke
LSD
Acid
Magic mushr
Cocaine
Ecstasy
Speed
Heroin
82. Person wants to talk
- By Text, Phone or over the Internet
- Wants to talk about a problem
- Perhaps in a crisis
- Asking what am I to do?
9If caller is a Parent
10Online Contacts and Chats
- TOTALS 2006 TOTAL HITS
66,918 Service Users - Information Requests Online 2197
- Parent looking for Information 938
Brief responses - Out of Hours 496
- Live Help Chats 289
- General 118
- Cannabis 57
- Heroin 11 Personal responses
- Ecstasy 0 (more lengthy)
- Cocaine 41
- Amphetamines24
- Other Drugs 38
11Why focus on Parents?
- They often make the help call
- Family Systems If the parent changes,
others will also change - They see their son or daughter daily I
can only offer one hour a week to
meet their son or daughter
12Parent Issues
- Reaching out, asking for help
- Power and responsibility
- Self-care
- Harm reduction and total abstinence
- Relationships
- Intervention
13a) The parent asks for help (at last!)
- Person to Person
- Create a Relationship with the caller
- Share simple information my name, callers
name, age of person they are worried about,
confidentiality - Be Reassuring We will try to help
14b) Power and responsibility
- Powerlessness (a word from AA)
15b) Power and responsibility
- Powerlessness (a word from AA)
- Is it like this????
16b) Power and responsibility
17b) Power and responsibility
Powerlessness The other person is
responsible for his or her own decisions
18Power and responsibility (3)
- A parent ( a good parent) cannot control the
behaviour of another person even if that person
is your son or daughter
19Parent Responsibility Age
- Parent of young child has weightier
responsibility - Parent
Child
20Parent Responsibility
21Power and Responsibility
- The Crisis Time to tighten the reins?
22Power and Responsibility
- Or a time of growth for parents and young person?
- Remind the young person that parents cannot take
on their (y.ps) responsibility
23c) Self-care
- Put on your own oxygen mask first
- Get your own feet on solid ground
- Parents decide what is right for you
- Two parents rarely agree thats normal
- What is the desired outcome a young adult who
is good at self-care?
24Self-care
- Parent is wise to seek help or guidance
- Its good to break the silence
- What help and support is available?
- Do they want referral to a resource near them?
- Do they just want to talk on the phone or
internet?
25d) Harm reduction and total abstinence
- What is the desired outcome?
- Zero tolerance is not the only option
- Harm-avoidance is a good start
- What about (as an outcome)
- a young adult who takes good care of himself or
herself?
26e) Relationships
- Have you and your son or daughter had good times
in the past? - A sound foundation does not disappear overnight
- Keep the lines of communication open
- Who does he/she listen to
- Do you ever have good conversations?
27f) Intervention
- If there is already serious harm arising (chaotic
use, violence, stealing, possible addiction)
intervention is worth considering - There are guidelines, but it is difficult to
outline this over the phone - Better to make contact with an agency or
counsellor
28Intervention (2)
- GUIDELINES
- Have a meeting, more than one person include
someone whom the user respects - Express your care, love, concern
- Stick to facts
- Outline the choices for the future
- Be clear what YOU will do if things dont change.