Recovery Program Narrative Report

Substance abuse counseling can be a rewarding career for anyone who has a desire to help people who are battling an addiction to drugs or alcohol. A substance abuse counselor can work in hospitals, prisons, therapeutic facilities, and halfway houses. The purpose of a substance abuse counselor is to help those who have an addiction manage it. In this paper I will be discussing Texas state counseling laws and the ACA ethics code and how these two can guide my work as a substance abuse counselor. I will also discuss the characteristics of a counselor, review my strengths and any challenges I may have as a counselor, and discuss my perceptions of substance abuse that may impact my ability to become an effective counselor.

I had the privilege of talk to Diana W. Bear of the Inter-Tribal Substance Abuse/Prevention & Treatment Center. She is a Counselor at the facilities at Miami, Oklahoma. She confided in me why she pursued a career in substance and alcohol prevention as a second career in her life. She also had family member that difficultly with addictions and wanted to know more about addiction. With her desire to learn and overwhelming desire to want to help others to overcome it. She started by enrolling in some online class and finished up with attending Pittsburg State University for part of her college career. She started out as doing her practicum at the same facilities as she later got a job; she has been a counselor with Inter-Tribal Substance Abuse/Prevention & Treatment Center for now ten years.

I am applying to the Walden M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. I plan to practice as a licensed professional in counseling and Higher Education. I have always wanted to be a Clinical Mental Health Psychologist, working with individuals to help improve their mental and emotional health is something that I am committed to. Starting this program now is the best time because the information that I learned from my undergrad career would help me to be more successful in my grad career by learning more but at an advanced level. Once I receive my degree I plan to go back to school to get my doctorate degree in psychology, and utilize the skills that I have learned to open my own private practice that helps individuals who suffer with mental and emotional disabilities, within my practice I plan to let each individual patient talk about their issues and come up with a strategic plan for treatment. The personal qualities that I possess are having self-confidence and the ability to work and collaborate with others having the ability to be receptive to feedback while maintaining a positive attitude.

I had the opportunity to interview a Substance abuse counselor named Tyler Luedke, he works for the Community Treatment Center in Green Bay and is also a case manager. This interview provided me an outline of his central beliefs and the approach he takes when it comes to the communication with clients. As a counselor, he listens to clients and describes their problems of what causes them to engage in addictive behavior. AODA counselors discuss ways to cope and potentially incorporate methods, such as 12-step programs, to help clients toward recovery. Every patient is different and struggling with various degrees of addiction he finds himself working with some individuals in a crisis, while others will meet with you regularly as they recover.

The most important objective that I feel will assist to achieve the Healthy People 2020 goals for individuals that are addicted to substances are to increase the percentage of the patients to enroll in follow-up treatments that are available and utilize the emergency department services. “estimated 22 million Americans struggled with a drug or alcohol problem. Almost 95 percent of people with substance use problems are considered unaware of their problem” ("Overview," 2010, para. 2). Most hospitals offer follow-up outpatient intensive recovery treatments, Alcoholic Anonyms, Churches, and private companies, such as Twin Towne in Orange County. Emergency Departments are available, approximately 35 in Orange County open 24 hours catering to patients in crisis. A patient struggling with substance abuse could go to any of those areas to start a sobriety program, they will get guidance according to funds and insurance.

This in-person interview was made final April 7, 2011 with the interviewee, Mae Parnell, who is employed as a case manager at Haymarket Center, located as 120 So. Sangamon St., Chicago, IL. Mae Parnell’s primary job description at Haymarket Center is to coordinator the approach to the delivery of substances abuse and social and health services. She will also provide each client with connections to seek the appropriate organizations that will be able to assist and devote to the care of his or hers unique circumstances and to help him or her attain goals for him or

The Council on Recovery is a Non-Profit Organization which serves the population of people whose lives are affected by addiction, whether it is their addiction or someone else’s. Their mission is “To keep our community healthy, productive and safe by providing services and information to all who may be adversely affected by alcohol, drugs and related issues” (Council on Recovery). To work towards this mission, they offer a wide range of services such as individual and family counseling, case management services, educational and prevention services, community outreach, supportive services as well as screenings for state funded inpatient drug and alcohol treatment facilities. Many of the Council’s employees are based in their main office, but there are also more than 50 clinicians who are based in MHMRA facilities across the city.

I learned quite a few things from my interview with Andrea. Some good and some not so much, but overall I was able to listen and learn about a different form of social work, and the work and situations that she goes through. The person I interviewed, Andrea Gregert, is a longtime friend who went to the University of Pennsylvania, studied psychology, and now works and teaches at UC Berkeley. She 's had extensive training in clinical psychology, and has experience in substance abuse and counseling. Andrea told me that the feeling of wanting to help others has always been with her. When I asked her what helped her decide on being a social worker her response was that someone in her early life had a problem with substance abuse and it affected her because she didn’t know how to help them at the time. Her wanting to help her friend pushed her to complete her doctorate in clinical psychology. I know it must have been a difficult journey to complete her education. She knew then that she could make a difference with the education that she received. She left me with a very passionate feeling about the field, and I 'm glad that I had the ability to interview her.

Working with organizations such as Salvation Army and CARE Clinic has provided me the honor of making a difference in my community. Meeting the needs of individuals is my way of investing in their future. Maria's House and Hope Harbor provided personal interactions with individuals recovering from substance abuse. Accordingly, their insights developed a greater understanding of how addictions begin and why they are difficult to overcome. Observing men and women working daily to maintain sobriety expanded my perception of those in recovery.

My current career objective is to work in the field of addictions and I hope to work directly with individuals seeking substance abuse treatment. Although it has recently been announced that addiction is a brain disorder rather than a behavioral issue, there is still argument that drug use is a choice and not a disease. I want to contribute to the substance abuse population because I feel the stigma that surrounds recovering addicts does not accurately portray the strength and positivity that comes from the recovery process. I want to be a part of empowering these individuals to put the pieces of their life back together.

and interview with Mr. Martinez was not only an enjoyable experience, but informative as well. Program planning was demonstrated with real world applications. I was able to gather enough information to conclude my ideas on the pros and cons of the agency. Perhaps most importantly, some avenues of career opportunities were demonstrated with a Health Promotion degree in the substance abuse field. Since I closed my Three Quarter Way House in Miami in late 1997 and drifted away from the recovery community, I have had a longing to be involved again. This has formed part of my reason for continuing my educational pursuits. Mr. Martinez and his staff were generous with their time, interaction, and advice. On Mr. Martinez’s advice, I plan to pursue to become a Certified Peer Support Specialist to compliment my degree. Also, I plan to attend the Burke County Substance Abuse Network breakfast with Mr. Martinez on the last Friday of the month. This assignment proved to be a most valuable

My chosen career area is that of a Substance Abuse counselor, which I chose because I’m in recovery myself, and have a desire to help those who are struggling with addiction to overcome their substance abuse and lead happier, more productive lives. I already have experience working in this field and have both an Associates Degree in Human Services from Des Moines Area Community College and my Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (C.A.D.C.) certification from the Iowa Board of Certicication, which I upgrade two years ago to an Internation Alcohol and Drug Counselor (I.A.D.C.) certification. After receiving my certification, I worked as a substance Abuse Counselor for about three and half years and found my work to be both challenging and rewarding,

Objective 2: Project Complete Abandonment is designed to meet people suffering from addiction and alcoholism on their level to gain trust through transparency. By providing a loving environment that is tolerant of shortcoming and gaffes; this in return dissipates people’s self-doubt and enhances their buoyancy in their capabilities, primarily assisting them with establishing a healthy sense of worth reaching the fullness of their potential.

One issue that has made me passionate about social work is substance abuse, an issue that has made a deep impact for communities everywhere. Not only does it affect the mental and physical health of the individual, but it also burdens the friends, family, and community as a whole. This concern is a personal interest because of my mother and grandfather’s past struggle with alcoholism, as well as because of a childhood friend who was killed by a drunk underage driver on her second offense. While my mother won her fight against her addiction during the time that she was in therapy for depression, I know the tragic effects of addiction firsthand from my grandfather’s death from the consequences of alcoholism and my friend’s death at the wheels of a drunk driver. I wish to address and understand this social issue in detail during and after graduate school.

Audience Purpose: Some of you in the audience may also be recovering addicts or know someone who is struggling with drug addiction. America is a nation full of