Substance Abuse Counselor Career Analysis

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.

My career goals are to become at license professional counselor, license chemical dependency counselor and a certified crisis counselor who specializes in trauma and career counseling. The steps I will take to achieve my career goals are, finish my degree and pass the required exams required by the state of Texas. In addition, I have to take 3, 000 supervised hours for the state of Texas to be license as a professional counselor. Since, I already have my LCDC-I, I just need 4,000 supervised hours to complete my chemical dependency counselor license. My personal growth is; I would like to growth as a professional counselor. I want to be able to be knowledgeable in the different approaches that I uses doing my practice. I believe the best way

Substance abuse is a widespread problem in the United States. That is why certified addictions counselors are in high demand today. Addiction counselors can work in a variety of places, including prisons, residential treatment facilities and hospitals.

Substance abuse is one of the most difficult and intractable of mental illnesses to treat because it possesses both a physical and a mental component. The substances Lisa is currently abusing change her physical chemistry and cause withdrawal symptoms when they are not present in her body. Over time, they also change the way her brain experiences pleasure and pain.

According to the National institute on drug abuse, the first age of alcohol typically begins at age 12 (Xavier Becerra). Pursuing a career as a drug and alcohol counselor is an intriguing choice for someone who wants to benefit society, wants to earn good benefits and a good salary, and provide a solid job outlook.

The job of an addiction counselor specializing in, but not limiting my choice to substance abuse is the job profession I have chosen. The opportunities for this field are very open in my area of the country and throughout the Unites States. The counselors that work within range of me are very busy, and have little time to offer to a person in training. I was able to arrange an email interview with a particular counselor working at a rehabilitation facility for alcoholics and drug addicts. His job entailed monitoring the day-to-day progress of several people assigned to his case load. These clients were monitored for coping skills, stress levels, emotional stability, and general state of health. These areas were not limited to whether it

To become an effective substance abuse counselor, there are six key points which include: knowing the principles of MI, being able to help strengthen a client’s coping skills, being able to utilize OARS, understanding Thomas Gordon’s Twelve Roadblocks, being knowledgeable about drugs, and having knowledge of assessing and Individualizing Evidence Based Treatment Plans.

D-The patient arrived late to her session due to morning traffic. The patient was advised that she will transferred to another counselor caseload due to this writer's own caseload numbers. The patient updated this writer on her infant daughter progress as the child is now 9lbs and eats a lot which turned into a laughter in the session. Addressing her methadone dose, the patient requested to decrease her methadone by 2mgs as she wishes to be stabilized on a lower dose. This writer completed the HCRC internal form. Then the conversation shifted about the patient goals of wanting to work as a substance abuse counselor.

The role of a chemical dependency counselor can be a very challenging, yet extremely rewarding one. There are many skills and qualities that the successful counselor possesses. Carl Rogers was the first to spearhead the movement of person centered therapy and he has provided a very influential theory on how a person in treatment should be treated. He deemed these to be the most important elements in the therapeutic movement: unconditional positive regard- helps makes change happen because they feel safe and cared about, accurate empathy- it is an understanding of what they are going through, congruence- be who you are, and lastly the desire to help (Watkins, 2016). These elements are the basic ingredient needed to embark on the journey of recovery with a client. This counseling model is intended to provide in depth detail of the counseling process and covers critical concepts that must be understood to effectively help the chemically dependent. The definition of addiction, the subsequent theories, prevalent disorders, and treatment processes are presented as a guide for counseling the chemically dependent.

Attending college at age fifty has been a mental and physical challenge. Having been out of school for twenty-five years and being disabled has driven me to work harder towards my goals at a new career in Human services. Introduction to Human Services taught by Mr. Larry Merchant has opened my eyes to the various opportunities in this field. He provided insight into several career fields and accommodated us with very informative with guest speakers. The first speaker was Ms. Lisa Pillman an MSW and director of a long-term care facility. This location works with the patients who need long term and short term care. This job requires a Bachelors in Social work which deals with patients and family members on treatment planning for their stay. She emphasized that learning and working towards a higher degree was important in a Social workers’ career. The second guest speaker was Mr. Claude Tolson a CADC with Kent County Counseling he spoke about working with substance abuse patients. He also spoke about what the job means to him personally and the process to obtain the position of a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor. Mr. Tolson was a very passionate person when it came to explaining his role as a counselor. Out of the two guest speakers and their career choices, I personally would be interested Ms. Pillmans’ job or Mr. Tolsons

Hello, my name is Roslyn Smith-Walton, currently employed full time at a residential AOD, (alcohol and other drugs) program. Enrolling in college full time was quite the challenge, a duel major student, pursuing my AS degree in Human Services, SUD, (substance use disorder) simultaneously majoring in Pre-Social Work. My long-term goal is to obtain my Master's as an LCSW, (licensed clinical social worker).

fought until the police came arrested him. The day he left a weight was lifted off our shoulders. We felt secure and safe that day, we no longer had to worried or fear leaving the house without our mother.

I accepted this position because of the emphasis on the customer service, clinical assessment, case management, problem solving, and crisis management. In a previous position as a student success counselor at Howard University, I provided academic advisement, personal counseling, and career advisement services, which are applicable to the direction of where I am interested in moving forward in my career goals. I am passionate about academic and career advisement and I have hopes of potentially managing a career development center. Currently, I am pursuing a Doctorate of Management and Community College Policy and Administration degree from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) with an expected completion date of December 2015.

Being a counselor is nothing new as it has been part of my management toolbox for since the it was added only a few years after joining the Navy whether it was for career, personal or professional reasons but the seeds for helping others were planted long before. Being the oldest child was a factor that heavily influenced my drive to help others as I was inclined to help out my mother, who was divorced, with my younger brother and sister. Even after my mother remarried, I always found myself being my brothers' keeper. I would often help out or even do his chores so that when our step-father would come home from being on the road (as he was a truck driver) all those tasks that were assigned before he left were done and thereby keeping him

It appears that the most appropriate model of career counseling would depend on how much insight the client has, their stage of development, their age and cultural background, and their career and developmental maturity. All of an individuals life experiences, their personal and career goals and aspirations for the present and future will affect their choices regarding career development. There are differing opinions on which factors play the most important role in career development. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on Donald Super’s developmental theory, as well as his life-span, life-stage model, and integrate narrative career counseling that has proven effective in my own personal career choices. Narrative career counseling helped me narratively construct my career decisions through my knowledge, experiences and what I found to be meaningful. The process of narrative counseling includes clients revealing facts about their past and present career development, and their design for the future (Hughs, Gibbons & Mynatt, 2012). Evaluating how a client interacts with their environment and choices made, narrative career counseling is an active approach to learn about them through these interactions. The client’s story, or narrative, usually begins with a difficult situation or transition, and leads into the middle stage that includes obstacles preventing a move forward toward their goal and the instruments that can be utilized to reach their