FESAT Workshop 3:

Young People, Parents, Cannabis and Helplines

Counselling, Brief intervention

Chris Murphy (Ireland)

A help-call arrives

A help-call via…

• SMS

• Phone

• Internet

A help-call from…

.

Types of enquiry

1. Request for information

2. Wants to talk / Seeking guidance

3. Wants to meet a counsellor (= referral)

1. Request for Information

• SMS (txt) – Automated response

• Phone – personal, brief response

• 3. Web: Live Person – brief reply

SMS replies 2006

SMS Drug Repartition 2006

1% 2% 2%2%

2%3%

3%

3%

4%

4%

4%

4%

6%

6%

9%

16%

22%

8%

Methadone

Tobacco

Poppers

Dope

Crack

Weed

Alcohol

Cannabis

Coke

Lsd

Acid

Magic Mushrooms

Ecstasy

Speed

Heroin

Cocaine

Hash

other

Hash

Cocaine

HeroinSpeed

Ecstasy

Cannabis

Other

Acid

LSD

Coke

Magic mushr

2. 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?”

If caller is a Parent

• .

Online Contacts and ChatsTOTALS 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   • Amphetamines:24   • Other Drugs: 38   

Why 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

Parent Issues

a) Reaching out, asking for help

b) Power and responsibility

c) Self-care

d) Harm reduction and total abstinence

e) Relationships

f) Intervention

a) The parent asks for help (at last!)

• Person to Person– Create a Relationship with the caller

• Share simple information – my name, caller’s name, age of person they are worried about, confidentiality

• Be Reassuring – We will try to help

b) Power and responsibility

• “Powerlessness” = (a word from AA)

b) Power and responsibility

• “Powerlessness” = (a word from AA)

Is it like this????

• Or this?

b) Power and responsibility

b) Power and responsibility“Powerlessness” = The other person is responsible for his or her own decisions

Power and responsibility (3)

• A parent (& a good parent) cannot control the behaviour of another person – even if that person is your son or daughter

Parent Responsibility & Age

• Parent of young child has weightier responsibility

Parent Child

Parent Responsibility

Balance of responsibility changes with age

Parent Young adult

Power and Responsibility

• The Crisis: Time to tighten the reins?

Power and Responsibility

• Or a time of growth for parents and young person?

• Remind the young person that parents cannot take on their (y.p’s) responsibility

c) 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 – that’s normal

• What is the desired outcome – a young adult who is good at self-care…?

Self-care

• Parent is wise to seek help or guidance

• It’s 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?

d) 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?

e) 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?

f) 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

Intervention (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 don’t change.