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DeBaene 1 Abbey DeBaene Interview with a Professional: A Social Worker’s Perspective Introduction I interviewed Beth Packer, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with her Master’s of Social Work, for this assignment. Mrs. Packer presently works at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL with the freshmen class of 2019. She will travel with this class all four years of their high school experience. Mrs. Packer currently works in the high school system, but she has been a social worker for over 25 years. She has worked with every grade level from first grade through high school. She worked in elementary social work for 2 years, middle school social work for 7 years, and now high school social work for going on 17 years. Mrs. Packer attended Eastern Illinois University with a major in sociology and an emphasis on criminal and juvenile justice, and she later received her Master’s of Social Work at Loyola University. The population that Mrs. Packer works with includes the regular education student body, students with emotional disabilities, addictions, students with learning disabilities, students with cognitive impairments, severely disabled students, and students with instructional disabilities. The regular education portion of the population presents issues such as depression, anxiety, family and peer relationship conflicts, and substance abuse. Mrs. Packer works on the macro, mezzo, and micro levels of social work to treat all of these various populations. She uses methods such as individual, or therapeutic, counseling, counseling focused on simple skills, group counseling, family sessions, and large group presentations or assemblies that focus on prevention and awareness of harmful activities and the struggles students face. The issue that I was interested in talking to Mrs. Packer about was substance abuse and addiction in high school because it is an area that I aim to work in as a future social worker and one that we have

DeBaene 2 highlighted in class and my other social work classes. Academic Source The article “Should Laws Against Drug Use Remain Restrictive?” by Kurt Finsterbusch comments on the issue, drug use, that I interviewed Mrs. Packer about. This source discusses two opposing articles regarding drug use and the restrictions put on it. The first article is “Legalization: Panacea or Pandora’s Box?” by Herbert Kleber and Joseph A. Califano Jr. This article argues that drug laws should remain restrictive because drugs are extremely harmful and legalization would only make things worse. The authors argue that the legalization of drugs would cause more harm than good to society and to all individuals. They claim that the results would be increased use and drug violence would not decrease, but remain just as high as it is currently. The most harm of legalizing drugs would come to the young population as they report drugs as their number one enemy and struggle. The authors state that the legalization of drugs will naturally lead to their increased access and use, encouraging the negative habits that young people declare they struggle with. The second article, “The War Over Weed,” by Jacob Sullum argues that making marijuana legal has more pros than cons. One of the cons he highlights is the high amount of people convicted simply for marijuana ruins their lives, welfare, and chance for a future job due to a small, harmless, crime. Along with lives being ruin, he also argues that the money going towards these raids and arrests could be better spent on other types of law enforcement. He states that through home growing, decriminalization, permission for production by non-for-profits, and other means of experimenting with legalization would be positive. He also claims that the government should turn over the issue of marijuana legalization to the states to determine. Overall, people have mixed and often confused views on drugs, drug laws, and why people use drugs. Mrs. Packer’s interview includes her opinion on these issues on the

DeBaene 3 smaller scale of Neuqua Valley High School, where she deals with these problems with students. Interview Me: Good morning Mrs. Packer, today I am going to ask you some questions about your work in as a high school social worker and how drugs and substance abuse affect and relate to your work. Can you begin by describing the population you work with and if substances are present in your work? R: Yes, I work with the general high school population at Neuqua Valley High School, as well as the special needs department. I help students deal with a range of issues from familial, to learning disabilities, to substance abuse. Substances and addictions are extremely common issues among the general population I deal with. Me: Ok, that makes sense. What substances are commonly issues in the high school population? R: The main substances are drugs, more specifically marijuana and heroin, and alcohol. Typically, students are using both drugs and alcohol and a friend or family member expresses their concern to me. Then, I reach out to them and give them a safe space to talk about it with me privately. Me: I understand, what often is the result of these meetings in this safe space? R: Students are often hesitant at first to meet with me, and the first meeting is often me asking them questions, and trying to get them to open up. After the first meeting I schedule another meeting, if the student is open to it, and that is usually when they open up more about their activities and struggles.

DeBaene 4 Me: Alright I see, so the result of these meetings is similar to what people typically think of when they picture drug or alcohol intervention? R: No, I think the stigma surrounding what people picture is not correct. The most important thing that is often revealed to me is the reason for substance abuse or drug use. I think the public, even these children’s’ parents, often think these students are trying to lash out or do not care about their future. In reality, these students are dealing with pain, and their coping mechanism is substance use. My goal is to find the cause of that pain and resolve it, not to blame or look down upon a student for their negative coping mechanisms. I want to direct them to new ways to cope and attempt to get to the root of the pain. Me: That is not something I have ever thought about. Do you ever involve the police in your work? What is your opinion on the war on drugs or how they handle substance abuse? R: The authorities are only involved if a student is attempting to hurt themselves or someone else, or if an incident happens off of the school property. I think their approach is much harsher than I believe is necessary. They focus on punishment for the actions, whereas I believe the answer is in the reason for the actions. I am not saying that drug use or possession should not be punished, but I also believe that treatment and the resolution to the issue of teens using drugs lies in solving the internal issues that lead to them in the first place is also part of the answer. Me: I agree with what you are saying. Do you feel like you are making a difference in the lives of the students, in the community, or in the war on drugs as a whole through your actions as a social worker? R: People often view drugs as a large issue, which it is, but I think that my work is the beginning

DeBaene 5 of the process for a resolution. I may not be making an impact on the war on drugs around the nation, but yes I feel like my work is valuable and results in the bettering of the lives of students that deal with addiction. The most success is seen when the reason they are using drugs is resolved and they are connected to programs and people that can help them promote their future and cope in positive ways. Me: Thank you for your input, the work that you do, your time today, and all you did for me in high school. This has been very helpful and insightful. R: Thanks Abbey, it has been my pleasure. Conclusion Overall, Beth Packer works with high school students, but she has worked with students of every age and ability, focusing not on judgment or punishment, but on getting to know her clients and help them long term. She works on the macro, mezzo, and micro levels of social work with experience in private practice and school systems. Her emphasis on juvenile justice allowed her to give insight specifically regarding drugs in high schools. As we have identified in class, drugs and substance abuse are one of the number one enemies of America and teenagers. She believes in empowerment and working without the expectation for a reward. In her eyes, the pros of the social work career outweigh the cons, she realizes that people with addictions should still be given the chance to graduate and transform their future. Another insight she provided that changed my perspective of substance abuse was her claim that substance abuse is caused by some sort of pain, and that pain is what she believes needs to be targeted and fixed before one can be treated for addiction. She made a huge impact in my life throughout all four years of high school. She goes above and beyond what is expected of her, which I think is something that all

DeBaene 6 social workers should aim to do in order to help people to the best of their ability. I aim to practice social work as Mrs. Packer does with no expectation of return, while performing above average work and caring about each client genuinely. Mrs. Packer is someone I admire greatly and aim to be like in my career and personal life, she is a huge reason that I chose this as my career path, and I will be content if I can be at least as half as impactful as she is as a social worker while fixing pain and the substance abuse it leads to....