Case Study with Activity

Mary is 27 years old; she has a history of alcohol dependence over several years. Mary has a daughter Kylie aged 3 years who displays signs of foetal alcohol syndrome. Social work services have been involved with Mary and Kylie since her birth, culminating in Kylie being looked after by the local authority as a result of Mary arriving to collect Kylie from the local nursery whilst significantly under the influence of alcohol. Mary has demonstrated ambivalence regarding her ability to control her alcohol use. Mary has referred herself to a local counselling agency as suggested by the social worker and her GP.

Consider how you might use the principles of motivational interviewing with Mary. A detailed commentary is provided below, including an overview of how an interview may progress.

To download the commentary for this case study and activity, click here