Substance Abuse Counselor Essay

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A substance abuse counselor is a person who helps people that are struggling with alcoholism and/or drug addiction. Substance abuse counselors provide patients with treatment and support while they are working to overcome their addiction and piece their lives back together. In addition, substance abuse counselors help patients’ families cope with their loved one’s disease and subsequent recovery. Finally, substance abuse counselors may work to spread awareness of addiction throughout the community by starting up/working for outreach programs. To be a substance abuse counselor, a person should be able to communicate well orally and through writing. They should have the education and experience to give the best possible suggestions to their patients. They should be patient because they will be working with individuals that are struggling in early sobriety; they should realize that they cannot force their patients to do anything and recovery will happen when their patient is ready. Substance abuse counselors should be …show more content…

They can assist doctors in hospitals while patients are going through detox and/or while patients are in the mental health unit. In addition, they can work for a private practice and do outpatient care. Also, they work in rehabilitation centers and treat patients while they are receiving inpatient care. Interestingly, they can work for the state and local government. Finally, if dealing with kids or adolescents, substance abuse counselors could work in schools or at after-school programs. The median average salary for substance abuse counselors is $39,270. The 25th percentile makes $31,850 a year and the 75th percentile makes $51,140 annually. The best paid substance abuse counselors make about $63,000 a year, and these counselors usually work in the school systems. By 2024, employment growth is expected to increase by 22%. So, substance abuse counseling is a growing

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