Paula Ramirez is a counseling student at Walden. Paula just reconnected with a friend from high school, Darius, and was sad to learn that his sister Destiny passed away last year from an overdose after years of struggling with substance use. Destiny was 38 years old. Paula offered him condolences and asked how Darius’ parents were coping with the loss. Darius replied, “They have taken it very hard. They have a hard time not blaming themselves in some way for what Destiny went through. I tell them that they were not responsible for her choices, but that does not really bring them comfort. Paula, do you think addiction is a choice? I just can’t understand why Destiny couldn’t escape her choices.”

For this week’s Journal Assignment, you will help Paula answer this question so that she can provide Darius with information about different models of addiction, and reflect on how you can apply this information to your future practice. 

Write a 1-page journal entry addressing the following:

• Explain the “model of addiction” you gravitate to, and explain why you are drawn to it, focusing on etiology (i.e., moral model, disease model, multicausal model, etc.). Does the model you selected have any shortcomings?
• How will this information influence your future counseling practice? Name two concepts that you will apply to your future practice.
• Identify what concepts, if any, are challenging for you to conceptualize or areas that you wish to learn more about.

Required Resource

• Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2020). Foundations of addictions counseling (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
  
  • Chapter 1, “History and Etiological Models of Addiction” 
  • Chapter 4, “Professional Issues in Addictions Counseling”