The Substance Abuse Counselor

What this research will show are some of the core major task areas of a Substance Abuse Counselor. It will examine the importance of the Counselor being knowledgeable in the field of substance abuse and the different treatment modalities available to the Counselor and look at the various dimensions of treatment to assist the client in his or her recovery.

“The National Certification Reciprocity Consortium (NCRC) contracted with Columbia Assessment Services, Inc. (CAS) to develop, score, and administer the national examination for member certifying bodies of the NCRC. In conducting the role delineation study, CAS gathered together a 13 member panel of “Subject Matter Expert’s (SMEs) who were all certified as alcohol and drug abuse counselors…This panel of SMEs determined that the following five major task areas were appropriate for the alcohol and drug abuse counselor profession:

These five task areas have been termed the Five Performance Domains” (Herdman, 4).

The counseling process is the utilization of special skills to assist individuals, families, or groups in achieving objectives th

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The best known and most successful program is Alcoholics Anonymous. However, although recovery is ultimately the client’s task, he/she is encouraged to get a great deal of support from others such as his/her sponsor, drug-free and alcohol–free recovering peers and family members. ”

One of the greatest challenges in this noble avocation of a substance abuse counselor is learning to control emotions of anger, frustration and even bonds of friendships that can undermine the counselor client relationship. Often people are unaware of the kinds of assistance available, whether they are eligible or how to go about finding help. This change in perspective occurs by attending meetings, by self-reflection and by learning new coping skills. There have been studies suggesting that it takes 21 days to let go of old attitudes and 21 days to develop new ones. According to NIDA “When clients complete an intensive treatment phase they should be evaluated for readiness to transfer to less intensive care, with gradual transition from several therapeutic contacts per week to weekly contact to semimonthly contact and so on.

The counselor’s job is a demanding form of community out reach that requires patience, compassion and a keen desire to help others who are in crisis. Transformation from active addiction to full function in society requires sustained and conscientious effort by the client, support system and treatment team. Substance Abuse counseling is by far one of the most challenging areas of human services. Clients should attend the primary group for at least 6 weeks. This helps the client connect with the group and provide opportunities for practicing behavior changes. Within the addiction counseling model the agent of change is the client. ” The members have an intrinsic understanding of the problem that helps them to help others. rough exploration of a problem and the ramifications, examination of attitudes and feelings, consideration of alternative solutions and decision making.

Approximate Word count = 953
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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