S247: Mark Worked as an Administrative Executive in a Government Organization: Behaviour Change Assignment, RP, Singapore

Case Study

Mark worked as an administrative executive in a government organization. Recently, he had been taking frequent sick leave. When he did turn up for work, his untidy appearance and indifferent attitude also affected his work performance which strained his relationship with his colleagues. In addition, Mark had stopped going for his exercise classes organized by the company, which used to be his favourite activity. Realizing something was amiss with Mark, the reporting officer arranged to talk with him.

During a coffee session with the reporting officer, Mark disclosed that he had been consuming alcohol every night to help ease the pain of a recent divorce. He began from one can and gradually increased to a dozen cans of beers a night. This would give him a severe hangover and affected his concentration at work the next morning.

The reporting officer advised Mark to quit alcohol drinking, lest his addiction may cause him to lose his job. To help Mark, the reporting officer referred him to the in-house counsellor. Mark recognized his problem and had attempted to quit but to no avail. He felt that only alcohol could fulfill the emotional void in his life.

If you were the in-house staff assigned to Mark, discuss what you would do to help him overcome his addiction.

Following is a recommended outline:

Introduction

• Elaborate on the presenting problem for Mark based on the criteria from DSM-V.

Body

• Explain and apply an appropriate theoretical model with regards to the cause of addiction for Mark.
• Explain and apply a different and appropriate theoretical model to help Mark overcome his addiction.

Conclusion

• Summarize how Mark overcame his presenting problem and returned to work as a changed individual.