In the movie Traffic, Caroline Wakefield, a 16-year-old Caucasian female was an only child, attending a private school, Caroline was reared in an upper-middle class family, and her father was highly respected and employed in criminal law enforcement. Academically and socially, Caroline demonstrated high scholastic achievement in which she ranked third in her graduating class and was active on the following school teams: math, swim, and poetry. Caroline experienced a life-changing decision to abuse drugs, resulting in reduced motivation in school observed by low grades and defiant, self-destructive behavior. Caroline befriended a classmate, where they shared alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and heroine.

Traffic can be a great resource for beginning counselors, clients, and family members impacted by addiction. Throughout the movie, Caroline displayed academic achievement and self-destructive behaviors through substance abuse as a means of escape. The movie was an inspirational, yet heart-breaking reality of what youth in our society could go through who have talent; however, our youth may fall victim to drug experimentation and develop substance abuse.  Mental health professionals can highlight Caroline’s resilient qualities and risk/protective factors towards drug addiction and sustained recovery. The opiate epidemic among our youth continues to increase. Caroline provided education for our youth in understanding how opiates can impact a persons’ life at a young age. Counselor Educators can provide counseling and psychoeducation to individuals, family members, and adolescent students on common stereotypes and misconceptions of substance use/abuse associated with problem behaviors and poverty-stricken youth. Counselors can provide a strength-based mental health counseling model for strength development, empowerment, and productivity. Caroline was academically talented and appeared intelligent, which would prove helpful in drug intervention and continued substance recovery. Despite the parents of Caroline facing the horrific reality of their daughter’s substance abuse, academic failure, and physically sabotaging behaviors, the parent’s unconditional love provides support towards Caroline’s recovery. Counselor Educators can implement strategic family therapy in the treatment of substance use disorders towards recovery-oriented systems of care.