A substance abuse counselor is an intimate part of addiction treatment, whether it is drug or alcohol therapy. In many cases, the relationship between client and counselor is the most important bond that the abuser will have during the recovery period. Most days, a substance abuse counselor will provide support, resources, advice and even confrontation when needed to a number of clients who are attempting to break the addiction bond. Counselors must face the fact that despite their efforts, many of their clients, after weeks or months of sobriety, may fall right back into a period of chemical or substance abuse again. It is called recidivism, and it can actually bring counselors into depression themselves.
There are two main things that an abuse advisor will do each day that he or she is on the job. The first is the business of constant referrals. Throughout their day, these counselors will spend a great deal of their time sending addicts on to those who can provide a family agency, a food pantry, a psychotherapist, lawyer, welfare agent or many other resources that a substance abuser might need. Often times the counselor will spend time "putting out fires" in the addict's life, everyday crises that might be called crisis intervention, but when the addict has no place to go for advice, the substance abuse counselor will be there to help lend a hand to get the addict through to the next day. It requires someone who has a nonjudgmental attitude and deeply caring heart. The counselor is certainly not in the profession for the money; most only make between twenty five and thirty thousand dollars a year.
There is no doubt that many people who seek this kind of career are driven by a higher purpose. Many of the people who become addiction advisors are people who believe in giving back to the community or to mankind. They are often motivated by a commitment to God or to a service mentality. The people who do this kind of work are front and center to the death of many of their clients. There is a strong tie between homelessness, AIDS, mental illness and addiction. As a result, these particular demographics, which are much more susceptible to early death, expose the substance abuse counselor to a regular stream of bad news when it comes to the life expectancy of his or her clients.
Becoming a substance abuse counselor is a matter of deciding that you want to make little money, deal with some of the most desperate as well as despondent people on the country and put up with lots of lies directly to your face each day. There are not many states that actually require certification but they do offer it for this vocation. The actual qualifications are a Bachelor of Arts degree and several years of experiencing in counseling, volunteer work, or even being an addict in the past. The burnout rate for this kind of counselor is very high. For the stress and the demands put on this abuse professional, the Christian counselor has a special place to get strength. "I will love thee O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom will I trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." (Psalm 18: 1, 2)
States that offer certification for this type of counseling will usually require that the person have specialized education in substance abuse and training in counseling theories and techniques to treat substance abuse. This specific training will allow a certified substance abuse counselor to do patient screening, assessment, treatment planning, group and family counseling, referral, record keeping, and may also include case management. This training may allow a counselor who does suffer burnout to move more easily into other types of counseling. The certification will require various amounts of training, depending on the state, but on average, the training may be over three hundred classroom hours. There are professional organizations that a substance abuse counselor can belong to in order to give extra support and resources for the position.
Should a person desire to be a substance abuse counselor in an educational setting, it will require a Masters degree in counseling. Larger school districts may hire at least one of these types of counselors to handle very specific issues that some students may be facing. Counseling adolescents who are abusing drugs and alcohol need a different kind of approach than adults and so require a different skill set for the counselor. Teens are often unmotivated to cooperate with adults who are trying to help them and may not respond well to a confrontational and directive type of counseling approach. Many adolescents are desirous of being on their own and react very provocatively towards those they perceive are asserting power or authority over them.
Not everyone can or should be a counselor of any kind, but particularly a substance abuse advisor. The person that finds him or her getting too personally involved in other's problems probably should not be an abuse advisor. This is a position where far too many disappointments in how people respond occur, and if twenty percent of the clientele are clean for a year, that could be considered a victory. It truly is three steps forward and two back day in and day out. Yet the need is great in this dog eat dog world for people to rise above mediocrity and the status quo and give of themselves for the betterment of humanity. An abuse advisor is certainly on the front line of that dream to make the world a better place.
There are two main things that an abuse advisor will do each day that he or she is on the job. The first is the business of constant referrals. Throughout their day, these counselors will spend a great deal of their time sending addicts on to those who can provide a family agency, a food pantry, a psychotherapist, lawyer, welfare agent or many other resources that a substance abuser might need. Often times the counselor will spend time "putting out fires" in the addict's life, everyday crises that might be called crisis intervention, but when the addict has no place to go for advice, the substance abuse counselor will be there to help lend a hand to get the addict through to the next day. It requires someone who has a nonjudgmental attitude and deeply caring heart. The counselor is certainly not in the profession for the money; most only make between twenty five and thirty thousand dollars a year.
There is no doubt that many people who seek this kind of career are driven by a higher purpose. Many of the people who become addiction advisors are people who believe in giving back to the community or to mankind. They are often motivated by a commitment to God or to a service mentality. The people who do this kind of work are front and center to the death of many of their clients. There is a strong tie between homelessness, AIDS, mental illness and addiction. As a result, these particular demographics, which are much more susceptible to early death, expose the substance abuse counselor to a regular stream of bad news when it comes to the life expectancy of his or her clients.
Becoming a substance abuse counselor is a matter of deciding that you want to make little money, deal with some of the most desperate as well as despondent people on the country and put up with lots of lies directly to your face each day. There are not many states that actually require certification but they do offer it for this vocation. The actual qualifications are a Bachelor of Arts degree and several years of experiencing in counseling, volunteer work, or even being an addict in the past. The burnout rate for this kind of counselor is very high. For the stress and the demands put on this abuse professional, the Christian counselor has a special place to get strength. "I will love thee O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom will I trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." (Psalm 18: 1, 2)
States that offer certification for this type of counseling will usually require that the person have specialized education in substance abuse and training in counseling theories and techniques to treat substance abuse. This specific training will allow a certified substance abuse counselor to do patient screening, assessment, treatment planning, group and family counseling, referral, record keeping, and may also include case management. This training may allow a counselor who does suffer burnout to move more easily into other types of counseling. The certification will require various amounts of training, depending on the state, but on average, the training may be over three hundred classroom hours. There are professional organizations that a substance abuse counselor can belong to in order to give extra support and resources for the position.
Should a person desire to be a substance abuse counselor in an educational setting, it will require a Masters degree in counseling. Larger school districts may hire at least one of these types of counselors to handle very specific issues that some students may be facing. Counseling adolescents who are abusing drugs and alcohol need a different kind of approach than adults and so require a different skill set for the counselor. Teens are often unmotivated to cooperate with adults who are trying to help them and may not respond well to a confrontational and directive type of counseling approach. Many adolescents are desirous of being on their own and react very provocatively towards those they perceive are asserting power or authority over them.
Not everyone can or should be a counselor of any kind, but particularly a substance abuse advisor. The person that finds him or her getting too personally involved in other's problems probably should not be an abuse advisor. This is a position where far too many disappointments in how people respond occur, and if twenty percent of the clientele are clean for a year, that could be considered a victory. It truly is three steps forward and two back day in and day out. Yet the need is great in this dog eat dog world for people to rise above mediocrity and the status quo and give of themselves for the betterment of humanity. An abuse advisor is certainly on the front line of that dream to make the world a better place.
0 коммент.:
Отправить комментарий