Dual Relationships and Self-Disclosure 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 experience with them are likely to raise personal/professional boundary violations. Two specific dilemmas that recovering counselors may run into are dual relationships and self-disclosure. Outpatient rehab centers are on the rise because it is what most people with drug and alcohol problems are attending. The one problem with outpatient facilities is that they create the likelihood of dual relationships. A dual relationship is a situation where a counselor (usually in recovery) and client have more than one type of relationship. A good example of this is the counselor -- client relationship and the relationship they might possess in A.A. The difficult part for the drug therapist is knowing which hat to wear and when to wear it. It is hard for them to differentiate between their professional self and their self as an A.A. member. It is two completely diverse settings. Some counselors have no problem going to an A.A. meeting when a client is there and others would feel very uncom... ... middle of paper ... ...The word itself denotes a predicament that seemingly defies a satisfactory solution, not just any predicament or problem. Work Cited Bissell, LeClair and Royce, James E. Ethics for Addiction Proffessionals. Minnesota: Hazelden Foundation,1994 Official Site in Addiction Technology Transfer Center. Ethical Challenges for counselor competency. 23. May. 2000. Online Available http://www.mid-attic.org/courses/freemod_ethics2.html Pita, Dianne D. Addiction Counseling. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992 Wendel, Peter Counselors in Recovery find answers to ethical dilemmas. Counseling Today. May 1997: 28 pars Online: Available http://www.conseling.org/ctonline/archives/recovery.htm White, William L. Critical Incidents: Ethical Issues in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment. Illinois: Lighthouse Training Institute, 1993
I met with Christine, an acquaintance I know through members of a twelve step program. We met for about 20 minutes over coffee. As we spoke, I asked the questions that I prepared, omitting some and adding others based on the responses given. The list of questions in reproduced in the last section of this work. Christine works at an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in New Jersey, the specifics of which have been intentionally omitted. Her interest in the field is identical to mine; she has a personal history of substance abuse. After obtaining sobriety, she wished to help others with her experience. This similarity is the primary reason I wanted to discuss this topic with her.
During the rehab process, patients receive much more than therapy and counselling. They learn a lot about addiction and what it takes to stay on the path of recovery. In many cases, they also learn the value of having one or more support groups. For many years now, counselors have placed a great deal of value on promoting the idea of "one addict helping another addict." In fact, who would know more about the recovery process than someone who has successfully lived it?
Chapter 135-7-03 of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (2014) stipulates that confidentiality especially of client information must be observed at all times. The counselor should safeguard the client’s information to the extent stipulated by the law. The American Counseling Association (2005) incorporates confidentiality as part of their Code of Ethics. It requires counselors to keep the counselor-client relationship and information shared confidential. In the case of group counseling it stipulates that provisions must be stated that protect confidentiality. The counselor must clearly record and keep the client information confidential at all costs. According to the Texas certification Board of Addiction Professionals, the chemical dependency specialist has a duty to protect the privacy of clients and must not disclose information obtained fro...
...The client must take the tools and techniques they learned in therapy and apply them in order to successfully abstain from substance use.
Substance abuse is the habitual use of mind altering substances (Substances). Addicts have a false or altered look on reality; they need help seeing what is wrong with the life style they are living. Nikki Sixx once said,” Addiction- When you can give something up at any time, as long as it’s next Tuesday!” Recovery is teaching a person to break old habits. Substance abuse counselors are very important, not only in the mental health field, but in society as well.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2008). Foundations of addictions counseling. Boston, M.A: Pearson Education.
Attending an A.A meeting for anyone may be hard. According to, “Psychiatry and Wellness”, “Practically nobody looks forward to going to their first AA meeting.” Alcoholics or recovering addicts may feel the same way I felt when attending their first A.A meeting. Some alcoholics may feel worse than I did. Some alcoholics may feel ashamed to attend an A.A meetings. Some alcoholics may be scared or have fear to go to an A.A meeting because they do not know what to expect. The thought of attending an A.A meeting may be worse than actually attending an A.A
Psychiatrists should be part of the dual-therapy program, especially due to the need to assess the degree of addiction in various individuals before grouping them into the anonymous groups where they can undergo the treatment program. Psychiatrists should be able to assess the negative social consequences that all the participants were involved in before joining the dual-therapy program.
Therefore, when I work with substance abusers I will show empathy, encourage and validate their successes and their feelings about any failures. In addiction, I will help the person learn from their failures and normalize the situation. Furthermore, I would attempt to ensure that the person had several coping strategies in place, to help when he or she finds themselves in a difficult situation. Moreover, I intend to ensure the client has all the tools he or she needs to succeed while getting to the root of their problem through counseling.
The patient may be able to sense if you have a negative opinion of them. Also, many patients with addiction may have ineffective coping, personal identity disturbance, and altered family coping along with many others. The patient will need support and access to resources. As nurses we must advocate for our patients, so in these situations we need to be actively doing this. The patient may need information about treatment and groups. During my observation at a rehabilitation facility, I saw firsthand that these patients need support. We need to provide the support and care that they need. (Observation, March 1,
An addiction counselor is a support system for someone that is having problems with drug and alcohol problems, eating disorders and other addictive problems they are having. They teach people how to modify their behaviors with the intention of a full recovery. One step at a time. One hour at a time. One day at a time. This talks about how the counselors are helping one step at a time, they are doing it one hour at a time, and they are doing it one day at a time, this is all helping the addicted person through it all. It is critical to have someone there for them at all times and addiction counselors provide this support that they need. After receiving the training one is able to enjoy this career with the great reward of helping others.
Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (9th Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Family counseling as a treatment for substance abuse was first introduced to community mental health agencies in the 1970s. Family therapy became viewed as a feasible treatment alternative for many at-risk populations. Addiction is a serious problem not only, in America, but all across the world. Addiction is a family disease that stresses the family, impacts the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental and physical health, finances, and overall family dynamics (Family Disease, 2016). Substance abuse can range from alcohol, pills, cocaine, heroin, etc. Because substance abuse comes in all different ways, substance abuse counseling options need to be varied based on the addiction. Families can detect substance abuse when there
Digital image. Incarceration vs Rehab. Your Addiction Support, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. stop once they leave prison or a rehab facility it only increases. The amount of support that the recovering addict receives is the main source of their success when it comes to avoiding relapse. The amount of support is different depending on where they are treated. In rehab facilities, there are often programs that are created to help those who are ready to leave the facility, but who still want some support if they need it. The facility will often work with the recovering addict to make sure they have a place to live, a job so they can get themselves back up on their feet, and will often assign this person a mentor to help them as they learn to avoid the normal temptations of their past life. This is unlike prison where once an addict leaves the prison walls, they are often on their own. Though many addicts find that they can get support from their friends and family, sometimes this is not enough. Sometimes, these addicts go to programs like Alcohol anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) that are open to anyone who needs the help. There is a large gap when it comes to the amount of support that a recovering addict receives once out of rehab compared to once they are out of prison. A recovering addict has connections with his doctors who treated him while he was in rehab compared to the addict who came from prison who may the have a sponsor who he is
Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (ninth ed., pp. 291-301). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.