Knowledge and Competencies Narrative

Knowledge and Competencies Narrative

Professional, Ethical Guidelines and Practice:

In September of 2008, I was hired as a Peer Educator/Technical Assistant by the Maine State Prison Substance Abuse Department. During a 2 ½ year period I was provided a unique opportunity to work under the direct supervision of two onsite Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors; Paul Quijano and Carole Martin. It was this position that allowed me to model my supervisors' professional practices and at the same time develop a personal counseling philosophy based on the above modeling, learning the ethical guidelines and practices from several different human service professions, and from working with individuals (other than my two supervisors) involved in the human service professions. As part of my job, I learned the confidentiality protocols of the Maine State Prison and the Federal Regulations concerning confidentiality under 42 C.F.R. - 2.12(e). In addition, I became familiar with the regulations concerning the records of clients under the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention Treatment Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 290 dd-3) and the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (21 U.S.C. 290 ee-3). Considering the fact that I was incarcerated at this time, I was delegated with a high-level of trust and responsibility to abide by these regulations. I familiarized myself with the concept of "Informed Consent" and what it entails in regards to an individual client's knowledge of what to expect during the counseling process and relationship.

Finally, due to my unique circumstances, I witnessed the results of unethical behaviors that occurred in other departments within the Maine State Prison. The unethical actions included Dual Relationships and Sexual Intimacies with Clients (in these cases, inmates). Not only did I witness the termination of these professionals, but I was able to experience the effects that their behaviors had on the administration, front-line staff, and the inmate population including the individual parties involved.

Interviewing and Counseling Skills:

While I did not have many sanctioned opportunities to perform individual counseling, I did have the opportunity to gain clinical experience as a group facilitator and instructor. I was responsible for the delivery of specific programs to the general population and protective custody. Specific examples include Lifetime Recovery, Addictions 101, and Commitment to Change. Lifetime Recovery is a 16 unit, experiential course designed to help the student integrate with important aspects of recovery, such as understanding the difference between a job, work, and a career. These lifetime employment issues are coupled with the introduction leisure time activities. Addictions 101 is a self-designed 6-8 unit course meant to instruct clients/inmates about the addiction process, the recovery process, and the relapse process. Commitment to Change is a DVD course designed by Dr. Stanton Samenow to help individuals overcome criminal thinking delivered with the help of a facilitator, a manual, and 9 DVD units. Eventually, Lifetime Recovery and Addictions 101 were assimilated into a comprehensive re-entry skills program titled the Lifetime Portfolio Program (LPP) In regards to LPP, my instructor/facilitator responsibilities included the delivery of the Addiction & Criminal Thinking Block which consisted of Addiction Basics Parts 1 and 2, Human Motivation (based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs), Thinking About Change, and Deception of Addiction. I was required to assist in the interview process of prospective LPP clients along with the Education Department principal and my supervisor, Paul Quijano. This selection process included the determination of time requirements, individual needs coupled with the ability to meet those needs, and the ability of the client to maintain attendance over a 15-week period.

In addition to the above opportunities that I was able to take advantage of, I had a few un-sanctioned opportunities to speak with inmates and staff alike on individual basis' concerning chemical dependency issues, mental health issues, stress management issues, conflict resolution issues, and anger management issues. These quasi-counseling sessions afforded me the opportunity to practice interviewing skills learned from the academic setting and from the modeling of my supervisors. I had limited opportunities to practice the fine art of Motivational Interviewing (2001, Miller and Rollnick) in both individual sessions and the larger group setting.

Advocacy, Support, and/or Resource Development:

Advocating for my peer-in-need was a daily activity as a Peer Educator and was one that I did enthusiastically. Being the go-between for a population that is in constant need and an understaffed/overburdened Care and Treatment Department became a part of my job that I really enjoyed. I advocated for the continuance of certain programs that were helpful to those individuals in need and assisted in the grant-writing process to receive funding to start more program opportunities. In early spring of 2010, I assisted in the grant-writing process to receive for funding for the development and implementation of a comprehensive re-entry program. After receiving the grant, my supervisor elected a team of three (myself included) and we developed the Lifetime Portfolio Program over the course of a year. As a team we delivered the program in the fall of 2010 with good reviews from staff and peers alike. The program we designed included for 4 program blocks containing 30 specialized modules to be delivered as a team, with each of us taking responsibility of lead facilitator/instructor of share of the modules. In addition, part of our responsibility included the role of co-facilitator/instructor for the modules that were the responsibility of the other team members.

Observation and Documentation Skills:

Prior to becoming a peer-educator in 2008, I participated in many of the different therapeutic groups available. This immersion into the group process gave me an opportunity to not only participate, but at the same time hone my skills of observation. We