Question

Read the following case study:

Swan is a 14-year-old student at the Sea-Cow School for the Performing Arts. Her goal in life is to be a world-acclaimed ballet dancer. She has been dancing ever since she was 4 years old, when her parents enrolled her in a Ballet for Tots program. Swan’s parents have always encouraged her to pursue her dream of dancing professionally. As a young girl, Swan had the perfect body for a ballet dancer, slim and flexible. Within the last year, Swan has become concerned that she is gaining weight. She heard from friends that smoking cigarettes could help her stay thin, although she didn’t exactly know why. Swan became desperate to control her weight and started borrowing cigarettes from friends. Eventually, she was smoking almost a pack of cigarettes a day and felt edgy and irritable if she went without smoking for more than a few hours. She thought about trying diet pills or even barbiturates to avoid the smell of the cigarette smoke.

Swan’s parents have approached you, the school counselor, because they found rolling papers in her room. Although Swan denies using any other drugs, her parents are convinced that she has been smoking marijuana. 1.) How would you approach this as case as a school counselor? 2.) Do you think Swan is at risk for addiction? 3.)What questions would you ask Swan and/or her parents? 4.)What recommendations would you make?

Answer 1

1) As a school councellor first I will make sure that the observations made by Swan's parents are correct. Verify them well. Verification would be done both at the school level and at home. Once confirmed we will move on to understanding the problem.

2) Swan is definitely at high risk of addiction since she has been taking all sorts of drugs for her weight loss initially and later for she cannot withstand the addiction effects of drugs taken.

3) Questions I might ask Swan's parents :

When did you they found about the possible drug addiction of Swan.

Did they observe any behavioral changes lately with her.

How is she doing in her studies and her dance class.

Is she skipping clases or absent from school and they had been informed by school about it earlier too. If yes, when was it and how frequently.

Is she under some kind of stress.

Questions I might ask Swan.

How is her dance classes going. Has she learnt some new steps. Is the class planning on competing at some district level or any other level dance competition. Does she feel she is leaning well and enjoying the dance class. Does she have any new friends. Is there something more that interests her. Does she want to talk about anything. Is anything bothering her in school or in general. We have to bring Swan in the comfort zone before she strats telling about herself and her problems that she may feel she might have.

4) Talk to her more. Talk to here friends and ask for their help in sorting this issue. Feeling sad, thining baout herself can make her feel even more concerned about her health. To assure her of things are alright in her mind and is what needs to be done.