Problem: Imagine that you have been working with a parent and child family for a while and they share the following update with you:
The teenage child has been vaping and the parent recently found out. The teenager believes that vaping is "not that bad" and "not a real drug." The parent is confused and worried about the vaping and feels frustrated that the teen has been hiding this behavior from them.
Over the course of the session, the parent and child manage to describe the situation but there is not enough time to process it. You decide to assign them homework to complete during the week to help foster healthy communication between them during the interim before they return to therapy.
Describe the homework task or exercise that you would assign to the parent and teen to foster healthy, constructive communication about substance use and decision-making. Your task or exercise should encourage healthy dialog and help the parent and teen develop greater understanding of the other's perspective and goals.
Explain why you think that your homework will foster healthy communication between the adolescent and parent. Use specific examples to illustrate your points.
Describe potential pitfalls and challenges associated with assigning homework to this family that you should be aware of as a social worker. Need Assignment Help?
Explain how you could use the homework experience in your work with the adolescent and parent in your next therapy session.