Introduction
I recently had an inordinate fortune to interview Henry M. Johnson, a social worker in New York City. He works as the director of National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), an organization that is fully devoted to the protection and proliferation of the Americans life by devoting all its resources, time and effort towards fighting substance abuse, a menace that threatens to engrave our contemporary society.In lieu of this, it serves more than 41,890 Americans every year(Herzi, 2000). Being a generalist psychotherapist, Henry has worked with NIDA for 10 years and has an excellent experience in the field. He says that he adores having a very diverse caseload. Henry attended Occidental College, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in counseling psychologyand Philosophy. He later earned a MSW degree from New York University. He was willing to give an interview which flowed as follows.
What is the mission of your organization and probably what is the criterion for one to be eligible for services?
He said, “Our mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction” (Herzi, 2000). He further explained that NIDA addresses the most fundamental difficulties and that one basically needed to be a full citizen of the US to be eligible for their services.
What kind of services does NIDA offer?
He said, “The main reason behind the formation of NIDA was to help millions of youths that are currently sailing in the sea of drug and substance abuse”. He added that the organization is fully devoted to this goal and nothing will obstruct it from achieving this task that has apparently proven to be a challenging (Herzi, 2000). He continued that, substance abuse and addiction are serious, but remediable medical problems. Additionally, he said that they offer any advice to persons in need of it or any rehabilitation services as may be required from time to time. They also provide free medication to addicts of drug and substance abuse so as to improve their physical health, reduce the effects of drugs on their brains and body and also help them establish control over their lives (Sora, 2011).
Do you have any sponsors in support of this organization?
“This organization has had great success and therefore it has attracted so many supporters from all the corners of the world. In addition to this, the organization has arisen to be one of leading free-corruption zone organization hence gaining more fame. There are several private companies in support of this non-profitable organization that aims at enhancing drug abuse treatment and provision of ways to curb this problem that has been a disease to so many nations. The first sponsors who are always in support of this non-profitable organization is The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute commonly abbreviated as NHLBI situated in New York City.”
“The other well known sponsors of this organization are the National Institute of Health abbreviated as NIDA. The functions of NIDA are so wide and can be described as multipurpose when compared to its other functions in ensuring the perfect progress of our organization. Therefore, NIDA also functions as an observant apart from its main role as the supporter (Bryant, 2003). Our organization’s strategies and principles are therefore tested by these two main sponsors. The sponsors ensure that any step taken by our organization is beneficial in the counseling process and treatment of drug abuse. The safety of our services is also tested by these sponsors.”
What could you probably term as the most adverse effects of drugs and substance abuse?
“It is so pathetic that most people do not know the kind of harm that they are causing themselves by taking drugs”. He continued, “It can cause emotional, physical and psychological problems mention but a few”.
Could you probably highlight some of the common approaches that the organization uses in the treatment process?
He said that there are many ways to treat substance abuse and addiction. However, the approach to be used depends on the substance involved and the degree of addiction or the extent of the damage that has been caused by the substance. He added that, “before any prescription is done, we conduct a comprehensive laboratory examination to establish the aforementioned factors in regard a victim”. Nevertheless, he recommended that behavioral therapy is the best tactic that can be convenient in most cases (Sora, 2011).
Do you have any special requirements for one to be able to get a job in your organization?
“Actually we don’t have special requirement for one to be enrolled as an employee in our organization. The only compulsory requirement is a PhD in counseling and treatment of drug abuse. In this argument, the latter is required to have an experience of at least 10 years of field experience and a minimum of 3 years of active exposure on the same. In this regard, I mean the individual must be counsel therapist in a recognized medical institution.”
What are the common responsibilities of the administrative and support staff within NIDA?
“The common responsibilities that each and every member of this organization should hold are clearly outlined in our general manual to be released next week during our 60th anniversary celebration. In mention of the few responsibilities that they hold include; making sure that each and every individual who comes for counseling gets best of NIDA and he or she is helped to extreme end and a solution is found in return of the same (Bryant, 2003). The next common responsibility is ensuring that NIDA is corruption free organization aimed at freeing the community from drug abuse.”
Are there identifiable gaps existing within NIDA and if so, what have you planned as the director of this organization to make sure that a solution is found?
“There has not been identifiable gaps existing within NIDA but in the recent days there have been signs that the gaps may develop (Bryant, 2003). We have our experts working on the same incase the gap develop and I am extra confident that everything will be set in place to ensure each and every issue that may rise as a result is curbed and handled in great care.”
What was your observation as the director of this organization regarding your staff interactions toward clients?
“The staff of this organization is extremely friendly towards our clients and that does can be termed as excellent performance and I do believe in the next few years, this organization will be one of the best in the world.”
What is the policy of NIDA in addressing the needs of clients?
“The policy of NIDA states that, “serve your best to the society and free them from drug abuse and in return the society will come back to you in help of the same.”
Are there recommendations or advice that you can leave to the individuals out there who are aiming at joining your organization?
“All I can advise individual who are out there and are willing to join our company, is that our organization warmly welcomes people from different walks of life to come and join our organization or even have a test on our extremely well organized services. Our experts are going to give you the best that you need and I am very sure that they will enjoy it”.
It was quite fascinating interviewing Henry who provided information that can be of great value to anyone wishing to acquire some fundamental facts about NIDA and drug and substance abuse in general. NIDA‘s role includes ensuring proper use of common medicines and recognizing what substance abuse actually entails. In addition to this, it also ensures that the treatment of substance abuse is effectively accomplished within a very short period of time.
References
Bryant-Jefferies, R. (2003). Counselling a recovering drug user: A person-centred dialogue. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Herzi, J. (2000). National Institute on Drug Abuse telephone directory. Bethesda, Md.?: The Institute.
Sora, J. W. (2011).Substance abuse. New York: H.W. Wilson.
