Job Requirements of an Addiction Counselor Essay

Substance abuse counseling is the profession that I will be pursuing upon my completion of my educational requirements needed

I have wanted to be a counselor since my freshmen year of high school and in the counseling field there are many specialties that I can focus on. I am fairly certain that I want to specialize in helping people with substance abuse and their families. I have always focused my studies, interests, and work on things that will help me in this field and I have a lot of qualities that help to enhance me in my eventual career. There are difficulties when I get to practice also like what people perceive as correct counseling style, challenges with my gender and race, and finally creating my own counseling style and plans.

At the beginning of my training, I was hesitant to work with people struggling with addiction. However, at this point, I am excited to begin working with this population. The raw honesty presented in the group setting along with the anger at the possibility of losing a safe place created a dynamic I wanted to further explore. Research supports that individuals attending group therapy in a 12 step program format succeed if they have the proper support and motivation (Cite). The group dynamic demonstrated that recovery takes time and self-discovery, similar to other situations dealt with in therapy. Subsequently, by using my sense of self and humor with clients struggling with addiction, I can help them in their journey. Furthermore, the client needs to identify accountability at their own pace in the process and not when others dictate. This knowledge and the personalization of addiction will aid me in the future support of my

Contact between an addictions counsellor and a client is usually initiated by the client referring him/her self, an outside agency refers them, family physician or the addictions counsellor initiates contact through outreach or other agencies. Assessment can be seen as the beginning of treatment and it becomes an opportunity to encourage the client to begin to move towards change. The initial assessment involves a mutual investigation and exploration between the client

When most people think of substance abuse and addiction counseling they often only think of the 12 step program or alcoholics anonymous. The truth is that an addiction counselor must have a vast knowledge in the

For every problem there is an obvious solution. If this was the case, we would not need addiction counselors. Some problems don’t have a solution at all. Yet, with Addiction Counseling if the client has the will, the counselor will help them find a way. If we look closely into the group we can quickly see that there are many tools and genres to assist in aiding the addict through the process of recovery. As we investigate further it becomes apparent that Addiction Counseling is defiantly a dominant Discourse community. (Gee 485) yet for most addiction counselor’s financial gain is not their primary reason for choosing this occupation. It is to help people who are struggling to overcome their addictions

Currently, I am a counselor in training at East Carolina University within the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies. Upon graduation, I will be pursuing licensure as a Clinical Addiction Specialist and a Professional Counselor. I am working at the Navigate Counseling Clinic, under the supervision of Qunesha Hinton, who also serves as my ECU doctoral student supervisor. My faculty supervisor is Shari Sias, Associate Professor, Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling Program Director at East Carolina University (office number: 252-744-6304; email: siass@ecu.edu) and facility supervisor is Dr. Leigh Atherton at Navigate Counseling Clinic (office number: 252-744-6300; email: athertonw@ecu.edu) .

First, the identification of a licensed chemical dependency counselor would suffice at the moment. A licensed chemical dependency counselor are counselors that specialize in identifying and treating addictive behaviors that are maladaptive, altered from cognitive imbalance, and from physiological discrepancies, or frequent intoxication to achieve homeostasis or functionality to some extent. In other words, licensed chemical dependency counselors establish and implement treatments to help people cure their addictions from substances which they are chemically dependent on. Second, the nature of chemical dependency is to be acknowledged. The nature of chemical dependency is not very well understood by human population. Many people see addictions as diseases, immoral behaviors or sins, as maladaptive behaviors, and some may view such substance dependence as out of control behaviors as well. However, chemical or substance dependency is a mental issue. The mind tells the body that it needs a certain substance to function, it is a craving that is difficult for the body to ignore, and the body cannot function until such a need is met. The change in behaviors, mood and conscious motivates the mind further to continue finding ways to meet this need. Therefore, there is not only an addiction, but a chemical dependency issue as well. It is strong and difficult to defeat. It is strong enough that it may cause some people to conduct criminal activities or infringe upon the rights and

A career path which I am considering for my future is that of a substance abuse counselor. Substance abuse counselors provide assistance and therapy to clients wishing to stop their use and abuse of alcohol and drugs. I am considering this field because of my personal experience with substance abuse and a desire to help others towards recovery, as well. In order to further understand this occupation, an acquaintance who works in the field and who possesses a similar background agreed to meet with me to discuss her career.

Chemical Dependency counselors have quite a few ethical dilemmas to deal with. Therapists that are in recovery may confront some even more complex dilemmas, opposed to those who are not. There is a high percentage of addiction counselors that are in recovery. In fact, 55% of 36,000 members of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors (NAADAC) are recovering alcoholics and 21% are recovering from some other chemical dependency. This brings up two sides to counselors in recovery. "There is something about the personal experience that assists counselors to being especially attentive to the needs of the recovering client." On the other hand, counselors bringing personal

Considering counseling as a career path was never an option or an interest for me. Nevertheless, upon the completion of an internship at the Renaissance Treatment Center, my areas of interest slightly shifted. The Renaissance Treatment Center is a place that address addiction and mental health issues that many individuals are facing. At this internship, my duties were to administer assessments, complete discharges, and co-facilitate individualized and group therapy sessions. The main thing that stood out and propelled my interest for counseling was the lack of cultural diversity. For each individual that walked into the building seeking help, the majority unfortunately were minorities from the African American culture. For me, this was very unfortunate. It made me wonder why this is so, and what led these individuals down this path. After many completed assessments, I realized that the lack of education, poverty, and living in war stricken communities were some of

The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) is an organization of professionals who focus on addiction counseling. The NAADAC prides itself on four main roles: professional development, public engagement, professional services and to communicate its mission. The organization will aide in professional development by providing the most current education and training to ensure counselors are adopting the newest evidence based practices in their work (Tuohy, C., n.d. para. 2). NAADAC also provides mentorship and a career path, which are always essential for continued growth. While the NAADAC is directed towards addiction professionals; The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors. The ASCA also provides assistance in professional development as well as mentorship for its members. By providing annual conferences, webinars, specialist training to one-day workshops, the ASCA is committed to the professional development of its members (n.d. para 2). Both of these organizations provide publications that administer the latest knowledge regarding the organization and profession. Although a membership fee is required for both of these associations, the benefits make it well worth it.

There are numerous ethical issues a counselor must confront during their work; dual relationships and confidentiality being two of them and are going to be discussed here. Both are important to both the client and the profession, as they set the expectations for how counselors are to act professionally (Miller, 2015). Ethical principles “direct the moral and value-based decisions that affect the counseling process” (p. 557). Without them, the profession lacks these moral and value-based directives and the ship that is “addiction counseling” has no rudder. It is directionless and adrift.

Stevens, P., & Smith, R. L. (2013). Substance abuse counseling: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

The researchers assessed the present state of current addiction training in the programs. From there they compared programs based on degree awarded either PhD or PsyD, APCS membership and the location of the clinic. Then, they evaluated the “potential” changes in addiction training since 1999.