Introduction 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. Interview Summary 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. Christine’s current position requires a bachelor’s degree in a health related field, although she noted other counselors at her place of employment have master’s degrees. She is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) in the State of New Jersey. Certification involved verifying education and experience, completing an exam, and paying a fee. Christine is also a member of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). Membership in this organizat... ... middle of paper ... ... What do you do in group therapy? # 13.) What do you do in family therapy? # 14.) What does your job entail besides counseling? 15.) What is the best part about your job? 16.) What is the worst part about your job? 17.) What kind of money do you earn? * 18.) What are the benefits of your job? * 19.) Do you think the best substance abuse counselors are recovering addicts themselves? Why or why not? 20.) What have you learned from working in the field? References Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014). Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-and-behavioral-disorder-counselors.htm Kuther, T. L., & Morgan, R. D. (2013). Careers in psychology: opportunities in a changing world. (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning/Wadsworth. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning/Wadsworth.
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.
I attended the Alcohol Anonymous (AA) twelve step meeting on Friday December fourth at 8:00 p.m. at the community center at Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. The people were middle aged men and women of different ethnic backgrounds. The meeting started in an arranged fashion. I sat in the back and was addressed by an elderly man who wanted to know who I was to and I replied that I was a student writing a paper for school. He was fine with my answer and departed. The meeting started with people presenting themselves. First, there was an open conversation that started was with the storytelling of one member’s endeavors with alcoholism. After this heartwarming account, other people in the group provided how the
...lenging and rewarding, and yet sometimes they would bring sadness. One has to be a strong and caring person to work with people who have addictions. In the end, the result would be for the patient to feel better about their self and gain the desire to succeed.
Layne, Elizabeth. "What Are the Working Conditions for Psychologists?" Everyday Life. Global Post, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Objectives/Progress: Pt. has continued his struggle in achieving his goal of establishing a healthy social support network over the last quarter. Pt has not made any new relationships or attempts to enjoy leisure recreation and associate with positive people, he continues to associate with those who have addict behavior, which include his old friends. Counselor will defer this goal next quarter if the pt. has not attempted to follow through with it. Primary Counselor will monitor the pt. for compliance and continue o express concern about his weak social support system and substance use during the next quarter.
Most people think of alcoholics of being part of the homeless population or of lower class. I learned that anyone can be an alcoholic, even nurses and doctors. In an Ohio survey regarding addiction as a disease, the results of the survey found that statewide 59% think that an alcohol or drug addiction is a disease and 43% believe that alcoholism or addiction is a weakness (Ohio Survey, 2010, p. 7-8). However, these two believed facts are wrong; Alcoholism is a disease and not a weakness. I think by understanding this and that alcoholism is a disease that is not easily controllable, I am accepting to those struggling with alcoholism and inspired by those that choose a life of sobriety. Those suffering from alcoholism and are able to overcome the cravings and disease are some of the strongest people I know. Attending this meeting has been a life-changing experience that has impacted my personally and my future practice as a nurse. I hope to be a nurse that is more accepting, open-minded, and judgment-free to everyone, despite my morals, beliefs, and societal
I have wanted to be a counselor since my freshmen year of high school and in the counseling field there are many specialties that I can focus on. I am fairly certain that I want to specialize in helping people with substance abuse and their families. I have always focused my studies, interests, and work on things that will help me in this field and I have a lot of qualities that help to enhance me in my eventual career. There are difficulties when I get to practice also like what people perceive as correct counseling style, challenges with my gender and race, and finally creating my own counseling style and plans.
The author of this paper will discuss her attendance at two self-help meetings Alcoholics Anonymous as well as a Narcotics Anonymous. Comparing the meetings, as well as discussing the author’s misperceptions of the members of mutual self-help groups. Additionally, the author will discuss how the group within the meeting were diverse, supportive, non-judgemental and accepting, or not. In addition, the misperceptions of mutual self-help groups will be addressed. “Involvement in such groups is meant to provide participants with support for remaining substance free, a social network (the “fellowship”) with which to affiliate, and a set of 12 guiding principles (the “steps”) to be followed in the recovery process” (Donovan, Ingalsbe, Benbow, Daley, 2013).
Twelve steps meetings are thought to be a vital part of recovery for those battling addiction. While it has been proven to help those with addiction maintain sobriety, there are skeptics who feel that they aren’t as productive as advertised. Research on the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is controversial and is subject to widely divergent interpretations (Kaskutas, 2009). I was able to see firsthand how a meeting is conducted by attending the Back to Basics AA meeting in Columbus, GA. My paper will address some of my thoughts and feelings about the meeting, my overall experience, and how it has informed my practice as a counselor.
Severe mood swings, violent rages, memory loss—each of these problems were a part of my family life during the past two or three years. These problems are the result of alcoholism. Recently, a member of my family realized his abuse of alcohol was a major problem to not only himself, but also to those around him. He would lose control of his temper and often would not even remember doing it the next day. Alcohol became a part of his daily life including work, home, and any other activities. His problem was that of a "hidden" and "high-society" alcoholism. When he was threatened with the loss of his job and the possibility of losing his family, this man knew it was time to get help. After he reached his lowest point, he took the first step towards recovery—admitting his problem.
I have talked with several doctors, mental-health professionals, addiction professionals, and individuals from the recovery community, the thinking is mixed on when someone should seek therapy or professional mental health guidance when suffering from addiction and signs of depression. It would be a shame for someone struggling to overcome addiction to be misdiagnosed and medicated for the wrong reason and it would also be terrible for someone who truly needs medication for clinical depression to be denied the proper treatment and medication needed to find balance in their
A career in clinical psychology is one that will be promising for anyone seeking to pursue this career. A clinical psychologists’ educational training is a dead-ringer for success, if completed with a doctorate. A doctorate for a clinical psychologist is the best way to get ahead and have the upper hand in this field. A clinical psychologist’s salary is one that will be growing steadily along with the number of growing demands for psychologists. Anyone who chooses to pursue clinical psychology, that fits the profile for the job, will be set and secure. Clinical psychology is a bright career that I hope to someday enter into, following the pathway that my research has yielded; with that, I may begin my journey.
“Motivational interviewing was introduced by Dr. William R. Miller in 1983, to help problem drinkers prepare for treatment and has been developed in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Rollnick. Motivational interviewing is a client centered directive method of communication for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by helping people to explore and work through ambivalence. (Miller &Rollnick,2002).” This definition simply means that motivational interviewing is a method that uses the techniques taught by Carl Rodgers, such as empathy, positive regard, and congruence all of which lead to a collaborative relationship between the counselor and the client. This supportive and collaborative relationship will enable the client to open up and have honest discussions with the counselor. Therefore, the counselor will be able to help the client recognize:
Ryan is the presented client in this case at twenty-five years old. He identifies himself as a heroin addict and first started using substances at the age of twelve years old. This was around the time that Ryan reports his parents got divorced. His substance use first began with occasional alcohol and marijuana use that became daily use by the age of fifteen. Ryan shares that he then began to experiment with a variety of drugs including opiates which became his drug of choice. His use of opiates escalated from pills to intravenous heroin use that he was supporting through dealing, stealing, and pawning. The client has made attempts at sobriety previously including detox, inpatient, intensive outpatient treatment, and one-on-one therapy. His girlfriend recently entered treatment for her heroin use and Ryan is able to report numerous consequences of his drug use over the past several years including pending legal issues that have driven him to
...nt, 2 caregiver individual sessions, and 2 sessions with the caregiver and the adolescent. During each session, the adolescent will work on basic skills to support sobriety: coping skills, communication skills, relapse prevention, drug refusal, and anger management among others. When the caregiver(s) is brought into the session, the therapist describes the procedures briefly then allows the adolescent to engage the caregiver and explain the procedure further.