Negotiate what to tell his mother

"Your mom already believes you are using drugs. Would you be willing to bring her back in to the room and have a brief discussion & decide on next steps together."

James says "OK, she's not going to leave me alone until we talk about it. I don't want her to know how much I drink but I guess I need to cop to the marijuana."

When she comes in you say, "James has been very honest with me about a million questions I have asked him about all kinds of things. We did talk about drugs and alcohol use. James does admit to drinking with his friends but has promised not to drink and drive and not to get in a car with anyone who is. He also tells me that he has used marijuana and he is not too interested in stopping at this point. I have talked to him about some of the risks and he is going to think more about that & come back and talk to me in a couple of weeks."

Although not thrilled, Joan is pleased to have her concerns addressed & plans to go home and talk with James & his father about next steps.

Well done. You have completed the case. Would you like to try another?