Samson and delillah

The following case study is an exploration of the Australian film Samson and Delilah which features the impact that the volatile substance abuse [VSA] of petrol sniffing has on one of the characters in the film, Samson. I have chosen him to be the basis for my client and case-study and will begin by giving a description of the character, his family life and the social context to start this case-study. I will then provide an assessment and case formulation as well as Samson's psychosocial needs and his volatile substance abuse of petrol sniffing.The substance abuse counselling model hat I would draw on is explained, as well as the usefulness for Samson in the situation that he is in. I have explained the way in which I would work with Samson and also analysed research that is relevant to Samson's dependence on sniffing petrol and discussed any likely outcomes. In concluding this case-study I have listed any challenges that I feel he would face and identified any ethical issues that ma y arise. Background Information Samson is a 14 year old Indigenous Australian male who lives in a remote Aboriginal Community in the central Australian desert.Samson lives with his rothers who hang out in their run down shack, playing music from the moment that they wake up until the moment that they go to sleep. When Samson wakes up in the morning the first thing that he reaches for is his canister of petrol and starts sniffing the fumes that enable him to get high. Samson doesn't go to school or have any direction in life, he seems to be very bored and spends his days hanging around the community, doing nothing but getting high on petrol fumes.Samson runs away from the community with his girlfriend Delilah after Samson has a violent fight with his rother and Delilah is attacked by the older women after her beloved grandmother dies. They go to the city where they camp out under a bridge, they have no money and in order to eat, and have to rely on a homeless man that they meet to fe ed them or steal food from the local supermarket. Delilah is kidnapped as they are both walking along which Samson is oblivious too as he is so high on petrol fumes.His girlfriend is raped and bashed by the abductors, but when she returns back to the camp Samson is unconscious on the ground, passed out from sniffing petrol. Delilah tarts sniffing petrol as well and is hit by a car as they are walking along the road, which Samson is once more oblivious too, as they are both high on petrol fumes. Delilah recovers in hospital, comes back and takes Samson to a remote property where she intends on helping him to dry out, but finds him sniffing petrol again. Assessment of Samson Samson has been heavily abusing this volatile substance to the point where he is physiologically dependent on sniffing petrol .Behave Net(2013) explain that substance dependence can be diagnosed when an individual continues to use the rug, even though there are problems associated with the use of the volatile subs tance. Samson has built up a tolerance to the petrol and seems to need increased amounts of this substance in order to attain the desired level of intoxication. Rassool (2009) confirms this, stating that when a body adjusts to the habitual use ot a drug, tolerance occurs as higher doses ot the substance are needed to â€Å"reproduce the desired or similar cognitive, affective or behavioural effects† (p. ). Petrol sniffing is a form of volatile solvent abuse [VSA] that is more common in isadvantaged or isolated communities which reflects the history of cultural oppression, poor health, unemployment, recreational opportunity and geographical isolation of remote Indigenous Australians( Dingwall, Lewis,Maruff ; Cairney 2010). Research has shown that 14 to 17 year old Indigenous Australian males are more habitual in the use of VSA by using more frequently and longer than non- Indigenous users (Australian Government Department of Health and Aging Publications, 2004).High risk behav iours are associated with VSA due to the individual feeling a sense of eing invulnerable, which can cause accidents, injury and death (Cairney; Dingwall, 2010). VSA can also cause the individual to have violent outbursts towards other individuals as well as showing signs of slurred speech, confusion and stupor which can lead to seizures, brain injury and death (Australian Government Department of Health and Aging Publications, 2004).Samson is showing all the signs of chronic use of VSA in relation to his oblivion of all of the trauma that has resulted from his dependence on petrol. I feel that Samson is bored because of the lack of recreational ctivities as well as schooling, there also does not appear to be any cultural programs in place to guide him in helping him with a sense of identity, or any real family support including the sharing of the cultural knowledge of elders.Intervention Plan Although there are screening tools such as The Indigenous Risk Impact Screen and Brief Inte rvention Tool Kit (Amity Community Services, n. d), I feel that the best approach in helping Samson and his dependence on VSA, is to consult with community elders as he is not only a minor, but there are also a lot of cultural arriers that would make it very difficult to counsell him unless the person were specially trained. It would be especially difficult as Samson speaks his traditional language and very little English.Cairney and Dingwall (2010) find that it is hard for the problem of VSA to be managed and the impact of it to be understood by Indigenous communities as well as health and government services because of the severe cultural differences that occur between these groups. Aboriginal people have a kinship structure where immediate and extended family are seen as part of the roup and within Indigenous communities their health is seen as a collective of the emotional, social and cultural wellbeing of the community (Pattel, 2007).I have personally never worked with clients with VSA, but I feel that motivational interviewing would also benefit Samson's brothers and their community in helping them overcome the problems of VSA. Giddens-Tracey (2005) explains that motivational interviewing is non -Judgmental and avoids confrontation, it helps to raise awareness of the problems, risks and consequences as a result of certain ehaviours, and it is also helpful in the context of treatment planning.MacLean and d'Abbs (2002) also believe that the introduction of Youth focused programs and the accessibility of basic food, shelter and education would reduce petrol sniffing, which would greatly benefit Samson if these projects were to be put in place. Cairney and Dingwall (2010) also suggest that by replacing the volatile petrol with a non-volatile fuel derivative there will be a reduction in the supply of petrol to inhale. Treatment Process I believe that the first step that would need to be taken in the process ot treatingSamson is to have a doctor or health prac titioner examine him for any signs of medical complications. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aging Publications (2004) suggest that when dealing with chronic VSA, it is important for â€Å"mental state, organ and neurological examination, chest x-rays, blood tests and any additional tests that may be required to assess the presence of metabolic disturbances and morbidity to other organs such as the kidneys†(p. 142). SVA has been a serious problem in many remote Aboriginal communities and there are many rograms that have been put in place to help these Indigenous youth.The volatile substance abuse program (The Australian Indigenous Health Info Net, 2013) runs for 8 weeks offering residence to individuals participating in their programs. They also travel to remote communities to work with Indigenous youth who are having problems with petrol sniffing. Although these services would be great for youth in bigger communities with elder support, I feel that Samson would be more beneficial in attending compulsory treatment Wouth workers back petrol sniffing laws†, 2009) ue to his lack of family and elder support as well as his young age.By contrast If Samson did have the support of his brothers I feel that he would benefit from Cultural programs that would give him a sense of identity that teach him the ways of his ancestors by restoring the links to his traditional culture(MacLean& d'Abbs). Ethical Issues The first and foremost issue that would affect a counsellor working with Samson is their ability to be aware and respectful of any cultural differences or traditions.Westerman (2004) ,Vicary and Andrews (2001) McLennan and Khavarpour( 2004) ropose that due to non-indigenous health care workers being aware of cultural traditions and practices, many Indigenous Australians are wary of engaging in mental health services( as cited in Fan,2007). There is also the issue of gender roles in Indigenous culture, Fan(2007) also explains that it is common practice in health care to work with your same gender, so it may not be respectful for a female counsellor to work with Samson as he may feel shame, which may have a detrimental effect on his treatment and recovery process.As a counsellor there is also the ethical esponsibility of working with a minor, as Samson is only 14 years old. The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia [PACFA] (2011) states that â€Å"Working with young people requires specific training, ethical awareness and competence. The practitioner is required to consider and assess the balance between young people's dependence on adults and carers and their progressive development towards acting independently' (p. 14). Therefore I feel that it would be advisable to refer Samson on to a culturally appropriate service that would be more equipped to help his needs.Conclusion In concluding this case study on a young 14 year old Indigenous Australian who is dependent on sniffing petrol we can see tha t Samson has built up a tolerance to the petrol and seems to need increased amounts of this substance in order to attain the desired level of intoxication. Petrol sniffing is a form of volatile solvent abuse [VSA] that is more common in disadvantaged or isolated communities which reflects the history of cultural oppression, poor health, unemployment, recreational opportunity and geographical isolation of remote Indigenous Australians.VSA can also cause the individual to nave violent outbursts towards other individuals as well as snowing signs of slurred speech, confusion and stupor which can lead to seizures, brain injury and death. The first step that would need to be taken in the process of treating medical complications. Cultural programs that would give Samson a sense of Cultural identity would benefit him greatly if he had support from his family but I feel that Samson would be more beneficial in attending a compulsory culturally appropriate service treatment due to the ethical issues surrounding his age.