State Level Challenges and Issues

Sociology

State-Level Challenges and Issues

In the course of social worker's in Indiana performing clinical duties they are likely to provide service to Impaired Professionals. Impaired professionals bring to the clinical atmosphere additional clinical contemplations and challenges, not the least of which is their potential for endangerment or harm to the public (Supporting the Wellness and Recovery of Impaired Professionals, 2011). Impairment on the part of a professional is sure to contribute to unproductive service delivery, possibly even to bringing real harm to the client, and malpractice with all its consequences. Impairment may manifest itself in a number of ways, among them, chemical dependency, stress responses, and inadequate attention to the professionals own emotional troubles (The Impaired Helper, 2011).

Impaired professionals often experience inappropriate anger or resentment in the form of: intimidation, insulting or demeaning language, blaming or shaming others for mistakes or errors, needless sarcasm or pessimism and threats of violence, vengeance or litigation. From time to time these people use unsuitable words or actions directed at others. A lot of times these people display inappropriate responses to patient's needs or requests (Who is the impaired physician, n.d.). These behaviors that impaired professionals often exhibit can make treating them very difficult.

The ethics codes of the helping professions address professional impairment, advocating seeking professional help and suspending practice in all cases, until the impairment is resolved. Chemicals of dependence and abuse include legal substances such as tobacco, caffeine and alcohol, prescribed substances such as pain medications and muscle relaxants, and illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine. The impaired professional is the one who has moved from reasonable to excessive use of such legal chemicals as tobacco and alcohol, or has begun to abuse prescribed medications or use illegal drugs. Professional helping organizations have policies barring the impaired professional from practicing but a lot of also have referral systems set up for those who need services (The Impaired Helper, 2011).

Tobacco and alcohol use and abuse troubles emerge to take place more often among professionals than among non-professionals. Professional impairment is more than just drug abuse and dependence but also comprises psychiatric illnesses. "Failure to recognize psychiatric diseases, failure to seek treatment, under-treatment and the need for specialized interventions and treatments characterizes the experiences of experts who treat professionals. Denial, self- treatment, occupational success, a general distain and lack of knowledge of psychiatric conditions, keeps impaired professionals from receiving the adequate treatment they need" (Impaired Professionals, n.d.).