“Take me seriously and accept me as I am” : understanding the help-seeking process and the counselling relationship when working with young people who use drugs

Sande, Matej (author), Dekleva, Bojan (author), Tadič, Darja (author), Rapuš-Pavel, Jana (author), Klemenčič Rozman, Mija Marija (author), Razpotnik, Špela (author)

Aim: The aim of this part of a large-scale study of psychosocial distress in young people was to investigate the characteristics of the help-seeking process and the significance of the relationship with the professional in the help-seeking process of young people who use drugs. Materials and Methods: We used qualitative methodologies, specifically framework analysis. The sample included 18 young individuals aged 16 to 25 who were participating in various DrogArt Association programs at the time of the study and had drug use or other psychosocial concerns. The three most common types of discomfort indicated were depression, self-harm, and anxiety. All of the young people engaged reported experiencing several distresses. Results: The findings suggest that the young people initially sought assistance from public institutions such as psychiatry, general practitioners, or school counselling programs, but few were given assistance. A third reported seeking help on their own, while a third sought informal support for their difficulties. The relationship with the professional is critical both in the early phases of seeking help and in keeping young people engaged in the support process. Professional attitudes that were mentioned as supportive included trust, understanding, and confidentiality. They value safety, a personalized approach, and acceptance. Professionals in the help process exhibited unhelpful attitudes such as disinterest in assisting, imposition, lack of understanding, impatience, and superficiality. Conclusion: When seeking and maintaining help for their problems, young people expect professionals to take them seriously and accept them for who they are. A supportive attitude from experts is a key aspect in young people’s perseverance in the help process, so knowing their concerns and feeling trusted can be critical building blocks for successful programs to assist young people in psychosocial distress.

• Language: English
• Keywords: young adults, substance-related disorders, psychosocial support systems, counseling
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 171-180
• Numbering: Vol. 61, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-171521
• UDC: 615.015.6-053.6
• ISSN on article: 2671-2008
• DOI: 10.20471/may.2025.61.02.08
• COBISS.SI-ID: 246798851

Copyright

Licenca CC BY-NC-SA je navedena na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 28. 8. 2025)

• Publication date in RUL: 28.08.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Archives of psychiatry research
• Shortened title: Arch. psychiatry res.
• Publisher: University Hospital Center Sestre milosrdnice, Department of Psychiatry
• ISSN: 2671-2008
• COBISS.SI-ID: 56216579

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
• Description: A Creative Commons license that bans commercial use and requires the user to release any modified works under this license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: uživanje psihoaktivnih snovi, mladi odrasli, psihosocialni sistemi podpore, motnje, mamila in mladina, svetovanje

Projects

• Funder: Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Health
• Project number: C2711-19-707506

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency