A great deal of what we do in the care of those with substance use disorders can be said to center around the transfer of knowledge; in essence quite often we are teachers. Whether through lectures or presentations, small group discussions, modeling of behaviors, or simply our conduct as professionals in the healthcare community, we clinicians are very often in the role of educators. The motivation for this model is not difficult to find and is founded within some simple social/historical structures. The question at hand then is, why do not explore and evaluate our efforts from the standpoint of pedagogy. In other words, are we meeting best practices in our efforts to educate?
A Need for Education
Chemical dependency historically has often been mischaracterized, and as a result confounded by a host of unrelated speculations. Rather than a brain disease most often involving a genetic foundation, it has been seen as a moral failing, a function of limited willpower, an issue of weak individuals, or a symptom of some other underlying mental illness. These myths combine to create an atmosphere that is not only lacking in accuracy, but brings with it a great deal of stigma associated with the condition. To complicate this healthcare paradigm further, consider how this disease represents itself in symptoms and associated behaviors. All too often and to varying degrees, the chemically dependent individual will, as a result of his or her condition, participate in socially unacceptable patterns of behavior, often times resembling the very stereotypes that have surrounded the disease. Theft, driving under the influence, belligerence, overdoes, and an apparent personal disregard for health and wellbeing seem, to the layperson, as a conscious decisions rather than a direct result of the diseases impact on rationality. Finally, let us consider the nature of this disease and the subsequent development of denial/defenses systems that accompany it. As we have noted, those who struggle with a substance use disorder often participated in activities that are in direct violation of their own value systems. To effectively manage these discrepancies, sophisticated mechanisms of rationalization, justification, intellectualization, minimization and even blame of others become commonplace attributes in the arsenal for daily survival.
In summary then, the gross misrepresentations of the condition, the stigma that is associated with the disease as a result of behavioral decompensation, and the complex construction of methods to refute its very existence by our patients, all conspire to demand that psycho-education be a priority in all levels of treatment.
Our Roles as Educators
In spite of this snapshot as professionals we are provided very little education or training in regards to the grand concepts of learning, yet the prospect impacts every aspect of what we aim to accomplish in treatment. As noted, the transfer of knowledge in all its forms serves as a bedrock for the recovery process. It allows clinicians to effectively help patients to note the discrepancies in thought and action and irrational beliefs that they harbor. It helps create a vision of a healthy, recovery-oriented future and thereby increases motivation and participation. Education supports and fosters skill development and active participation in activities that alter outlook and subsequently patient prospects. Given our reliance on the practice of educating, envisioning and evaluating ourselves and our methodology as educators can be a prosperous pedagogical shift. After all, recovery is learned.
Let’s start with these proposed steps to best practices
A Need for Education
Chemical dependency historically has often been mischaracterized, and as a result confounded by a host of unrelated speculations. Rather than a brain disease most often involving a genetic foundation, it has been seen as a moral failing, a function of limited willpower, an issue of weak individuals, or a symptom of some other underlying mental illness. These myths combine to create an atmosphere that is not only lacking in accuracy, but brings with it a great deal of stigma associated with the condition. To complicate this healthcare paradigm further, consider how this disease represents itself in symptoms and associated behaviors. All too often and to varying degrees, the chemically dependent individual will, as a result of his or her condition, participate in socially unacceptable patterns of behavior, often times resembling the very stereotypes that have surrounded the disease. Theft, driving under the influence, belligerence, overdoes, and an apparent personal disregard for health and wellbeing seem, to the layperson, as a conscious decisions rather than a direct result of the diseases impact on rationality. Finally, let us consider the nature of this disease and the subsequent development of denial/defenses systems that accompany it. As we have noted, those who struggle with a substance use disorder often participated in activities that are in direct violation of their own value systems. To effectively manage these discrepancies, sophisticated mechanisms of rationalization, justification, intellectualization, minimization and even blame of others become commonplace attributes in the arsenal for daily survival.
In summary then, the gross misrepresentations of the condition, the stigma that is associated with the disease as a result of behavioral decompensation, and the complex construction of methods to refute its very existence by our patients, all conspire to demand that psycho-education be a priority in all levels of treatment.
Our Roles as Educators
In spite of this snapshot as professionals we are provided very little education or training in regards to the grand concepts of learning, yet the prospect impacts every aspect of what we aim to accomplish in treatment. As noted, the transfer of knowledge in all its forms serves as a bedrock for the recovery process. It allows clinicians to effectively help patients to note the discrepancies in thought and action and irrational beliefs that they harbor. It helps create a vision of a healthy, recovery-oriented future and thereby increases motivation and participation. Education supports and fosters skill development and active participation in activities that alter outlook and subsequently patient prospects. Given our reliance on the practice of educating, envisioning and evaluating ourselves and our methodology as educators can be a prosperous pedagogical shift. After all, recovery is learned.
Let’s start with these proposed steps to best practices
- Create an education specific mission/vision statement for staff
- Develop a minimum of 3 specific learning objectives for each educational experience
- Articulate the rationale for methods of content delivery for each experience
- Create meaningful content organization or flow
- Create systems of content assessment/evaluation