[humanser] Question for professionals who worked/are working with addicts.

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for the input.  I'm glad to say that I think I was
on the right track, but confirmation from more experienced
professionals such as yourselves has helped with that.

I'm quite enjoying reading these messages in addition to the materials
I've found.  I've also got disability services trying to get a book
for me that was written on music therapy and addictions, so hopefully
the publisher will come through soon.

Please do continue to chime in with more tips/tricks such as have
already been given, as well as other suggestions of things I should be
looking up if you can.  I'm really appreciating the input and feedback
and it's really helping me to prepare.

On 7/2/16, lovestar_07--- via Humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi again,
> I should have worded the first sentence of my first response better. I was
> trying to say, be mindful to treat an adult as an adult , even if immature
> behaviors are present: for you don't want to come off as condescending. You
> don't want the person or individuals you are working with to feel
> disrespected.
>
>
>
>> On Jul 1, 2016, at 2:45 PM, Kaiti Shelton via Humanser
>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I know it is the busiest time of year with convention in full swing,
>> but I wanted to ask this question now rather than wait till later as
>> it pertains to school in the fall.  Regretably I was not able to pay
>> my way to convention this year either, so email rather than the more
>> ideal route of in-person interaction on this will have to suffice.
>>
>> I'm going into my second to last practicum (Yay) and as I still need
>> to fulfill the American Music Therapy Associations requirement for
>> mental health experience, I have been assigned to go to an acute
>> behavioral health facility.  I'll be working with a partner on a
>> residential unit for women with comorbid mental health disorders and
>> addictions.  Heroine is the most common drug of choice for both women
>> and the men at this facility, and I'm doing all the reading I can on
>> music therapy in mental health care, mental health in general, the
>> psychology of addiction, etc.  I have also looked up information on
>> trauma theory, chaos theory, sexual violence, domestic abuse, and
>> other factors that I know some of the women in past groups have
>> faced/could be factors in the addictions for these women I will be
>> working with.  However, I have not found anything describing a blind
>> individual working with this population and would like to prepare for
>> it as much as possible.
>>
>> I know some safety considerations were taken into account, and my
>> professors felt that having me work with the women might be safer as
>> the men's group can be a bit rougher for women.  Sometimes in anger
>> things are thrown, for example.  I know in recent years I have
>> expressed concerns relating to my own countertransference issues when
>> starting with new groups, but after having two fantastic practicum
>> experiences last school year I am not so much concerned with that as I
>> am with the unknowns of this population and how they might need to be
>> approached differently.  This is the practicum that often challenges
>> students the most in terms of counseling skills and understanding when
>> defense mechanisms etc are being used, and I want to be sure I take
>> any information I can get into account as I go into this practicum
>> experience.  I already realize that after working with elderly adults
>> on a dementia care unit of a nursing home a while ago, an individual
>> with Down Syndrome in the fall, and with a class of children with
>> Autism this past spring that this is going to be a huge adjustment,
>> not just in the age group but also in that I've never worked with
>> clients who are more highly cognitively aware and therefore in some
>> ways more psychologically complex before.  I'd be interested to hear
>> from anyone who has worked with recovering addicts to know if there
>> were any techniques or approaches you used that are different from
>> your work with other populations.  I'd especially be interested in
>> hearing from those of you who might have experience in acute treatment
>> facilities, as I know there is a huge turn-over rate in group members
>> throughout the semester for this placement.  Right now I just feel
>> like I don't know what I don't know, so any input would be
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> --
>> Kaiti Shelton
>> University of Dayton-Music Therapy
>> President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present
>> Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
>> Division 2015-2016
>>
>> "You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!"
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Humanser mailing list
>> Humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/lovestar_07%40yahoo.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Humanser mailing list
> Humanser at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Humanser:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton-Music Therapy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present
Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
Division 2015-2016

"You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!"