Helping Josie
Helping Josie
HN430 Advocacy for Families and Youth
June 18, 2013
Helping Josie Josie is an eleven year old, bi-racial female who lives with her mother. She has a history of learning and behavioral problems in school, home and the community. She was recently told she could not continue to participate on her school’s soccer team or in the after school program because of her behavior and has stated that she is depressed and does not care about living anymore. During the initial interview with Josie, one of the things that could be a key factor in her case is substance abuse. People may use drugs or alcohol for a lot of different reasons and many times an adolescent will try a substance out of curiosity, to fit in with their friends, or to ease stress, anxiety or depression. Sometimes life issues and problems can sneak up on a person and at times drugs and alcohol are “tools” that are used to fill a void or ease tension and stress. (Robinson, et al, 2013). I will need to have Josie tested for drugs and alcohol to determine if I need to set up some resources to help her cope with her problems in a healthier and more positive way. A big red flag when talking to Josie was her statement that “she doesn’t care about living anymore.” I need to determine to what degree her depression is affecting her and what her risk for suicide is. One of the tools that could be used to grade her suicide level is the eleven-item Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS). This is a list of eleven questions that are scored on a simple four-point scale and every answer is scored: (a) = 0; (b) = 1; (c) = 2; and (d) = 3. Once all of the questions have been answered the scores are totaled. Higher scores would indicate a higher suicide risk; lower scores could suggest potential improvement. (Brooks, 2004). Another tool that could be used to determine Josie’s suicide risk level is the TASR-A. This is a Tool for Assessment of Suicide Risk in
HN430 Advocacy for Families and Youth
June 18, 2013
Helping Josie Josie is an eleven year old, bi-racial female who lives with her mother. She has a history of learning and behavioral problems in school, home and the community. She was recently told she could not continue to participate on her school’s soccer team or in the after school program because of her behavior and has stated that she is depressed and does not care about living anymore. During the initial interview with Josie, one of the things that could be a key factor in her case is substance abuse. People may use drugs or alcohol for a lot of different reasons and many times an adolescent will try a substance out of curiosity, to fit in with their friends, or to ease stress, anxiety or depression. Sometimes life issues and problems can sneak up on a person and at times drugs and alcohol are “tools” that are used to fill a void or ease tension and stress. (Robinson, et al, 2013). I will need to have Josie tested for drugs and alcohol to determine if I need to set up some resources to help her cope with her problems in a healthier and more positive way. A big red flag when talking to Josie was her statement that “she doesn’t care about living anymore.” I need to determine to what degree her depression is affecting her and what her risk for suicide is. One of the tools that could be used to grade her suicide level is the eleven-item Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS). This is a list of eleven questions that are scored on a simple four-point scale and every answer is scored: (a) = 0; (b) = 1; (c) = 2; and (d) = 3. Once all of the questions have been answered the scores are totaled. Higher scores would indicate a higher suicide risk; lower scores could suggest potential improvement. (Brooks, 2004). Another tool that could be used to determine Josie’s suicide risk level is the TASR-A. This is a Tool for Assessment of Suicide Risk in