Practitioner: So, what seems to be the problem with your Michael?
Service User: After turning 13, Michael started to be more irritated than before. He does not tell us what is going on in his life, he put passwords on all of his devices, and he uses only incognito mode in browsers. His grades at school started to deteriorate. It was all OK until last week, when his teacher told us that she saw Michael smoking weed with some of his friends. We do not know what to do know.
Practitioner: So, after you son hit puberty, his attitude has changed, which you did not worry about due to his age. Thus, the fact that he was smoking marijuana was a complete surprise to you. Did you talk to him about it?
Service User: Yes, we did.
Practitioner: What did he say? How did he explain the situation?
Service User: My husband yelled at him emphasizing that it was inappropriate behavior to say the least. My son kept silent most of the time and started crying after some time. His father said that he was no longer allowed to talk with his friends and took away his phone and computer and sent him to his room to study.
Practitioner: So, do I understand it correctly that your son did not explain his behavior. He did not confirm that he was smoking drugs nor did he reject it. How was his mood and actions after the talk you had?
Service User: His mood deteriorated. He does not talk to us at all and spends most of his time in his room throwing ball at a wall. He can sit for hours doing his homework and have nothing written in his notebooks. I believe that we are losing him.
Practitioner: So, the talk you had did not appear to help. Tell be about how you and your husband would usually speak to Michael during the past year.
Service User: There is not much to say really. His father would ask him about his grades at dinner and how was his school. Michael would reply that everything was fine, have his food, and go to his room to play his games. I would sometimes come to his room to ask how he was, but he would tell me to go away, as he was playing games.
Practitioner: So, you and your husband made some effort to make contact with Michael but nothing helped. How did you show any interest in his activities? Parents sometimes talk ask their children about the games they play or the friends they socialize with.
Service User: Well, now that you ask, there wasn’t much we asked our son about his interests. However, we always asked if he needed help with his homework. We even hired him a math tutor to help him with his homework online.
Practitioner: So, let me understand if I understand everything correctly. Michael’s mood changed about a year ago but you did not feel it was a big problem as he entered puberty and the changes were common to the ages. However, you became really concerned about your son after hearing that he was smoking drugs. As responsible parents, you decided to take away his privileges to use his smartphone and the computer. He did not explain his behavior and you do not know exactly if he did drugs or not. Even though you are always genuinely interested in your son’s activities, you did not know how to express the interest except asking about his studies. Is there something else I am missing?
Service User: That sounds about right.
Practitioner: Thank you for your time.