Over the years, I have heard of success rates of treatment that were all over the board and have come to the conclusion that “success rates” don’t really tell us a whole lot. Part of the problem seems to be that everyone has their own definition of success. I have […]
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There is probably no such thing as a typical day as a substance abuse counselor, but this article: A Day in the Life of a Substance Abuse Counselor by Douglas Klier, M.A., C.A.C., Adjunct Faculty, Assumption College provides a good description of what counselors do on a daily basis.
I have had many conversations with clients over the years discussing trust. We have talked about how easy it is to lose someone’s trust and how earning trust takes time and consistency. The same could be said for earning credibility as a counselor. I am sure that building a good […]
There is no such thing as a perfect counselor. Even if you were a perfect addictions counselor, you would still have clients who relapse. You are going to make some mistakes along the way. The good news is that in most situations these mistakes are not catastrophic and they can […]
In addition to the education required to get certified as an addictions counselor, there are also educational requirements to maintain your certification. Each state varies in their requirements, but most credentials need to be renewed every two years. You will need to complete a certain number of hours or CEUs […]
With any profession it is critical to make yourself more appealing to potential employers. Even if you are satisfied with your current job, having other employers pursue you, gives you leverage, helps boost your self-esteem and can give you more credibility in your field. So, in the field of substance […]
Being a substance abuse counselor is one of the few professions where having a “checkered” past can actually be an advantage. While it isn’t like it was 30 years ago, when most substance abuse counselors were in recovery, there are still a significant number of addictions professionals, who identify themselves […]
How do most substance abuse counselors get started in this field? I have noticed three common scenarios, but I’m sure there may be others. Scenario #1: They battled addiction themselves and through recovery found that they want to use their life experiences to help others. Scenario #2: They have someone […]
In order to become credentialed as a substance abuse counselor, you will need to be supervised for a number of hours. This is an area where the requirements can vary significantly from state to state. You will have your supervisor on the job, which means that you will have to […]
The success rate is very low You only work with criminals They don’t really want to stop using drugs The clients lie and manipulate Substance abuse counselors aren’t as well respected as other counselors It probably isn’t going to make you rich. There seems to be a lot of burnout […]