February 2012 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 17
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Alcohol |
Personal loss
brought, neither the exercise of reason nor encouragement from others have been
sufficient to bring about control’.
Thirdly, my own personal experience has cemented my belief in the value of social
support for change (even though, to my shame, I was unable to provide this to my
own brother). Thus, I am a strong advocate of social approaches such as Social
Behaviour and Network Therapy (Copello
et al.
2002; 2009), for which there is good
evidence of effectiveness.
Fourthly, my experience, and the time that has elapsed since Paul’s death, has not
diminished my determination to do all I can professionally for those who want or
need my help, or that of an addiction or allied service.
Lastly, there have been a number of occasions where a client and/or their family
has suggested that I do not understand how the problem of alcohol dependence
affects significant others, as my role is purely as a professional. I have always
resisted any temptation to disclose my own personal experience, as this is not, in
my view, consistent with my role or good practice. Whilst I cannot claim to know
what it is like to be in their specific situation, I do seek to empathise with genuine
cause and intent. There have also been occasions when clients’ experiences have
touched an emotional nerve in me because they remind me of Paul. However, I
have tried my best not to leak this, if at all possible.
So, why am I writing this article, eight years after Paul’s death? Another good
question, for which there is no neat answer. That said, I recognise that self-
disclosure is present here and there is also an element of personal catharsis in my
motivation. If that is in any way self-indulgent, please forgive me.
However, there is more to it. I think the matter of where the personal can meet
the professional, and how we respond to this, is a worthy subject for discussion. I
have described my own experience, not as the correct way, but one way. As I
continue to work in the addictions field, it is something of which I have to be
aware in my practice. It would be interesting to hear of the experiences of others
in this profession.
DDN
Mel Ashton is a senior addiction therapist
‘There have been a number of
occasions where a client and/or
their family has suggested that
I do not understand how the
problem of alcohol dependence
affectssignificantothers, asmy
role is purely as a professional. I
have always resisted any
temptation to disclose my own
personal experience.’
ome
p16-17 Mel Ashton_p12-13 05/02/2012 13:35 Page 17