Substance Abuse Counselor

Substance abuse counseling is a demanding form of community outreach that requires patience, compassion, and a keen desire to help others who in crisis. A good portion of the addict population are people who need help in many areas of their lives. Often these people are unaware of the kinds of assistance available, whether they are eligible, or how to go about finding help. Counselors refer patients to a variety of other services that may help provide a stable platform from which they can fight their drug addiction. The abuser may be directed to a family agency, food pantry, physician or psychiatrist, vocational training center, lawyer, welfare agent or other professionals depending on the needs of the individual.

Counselors see people in both group and private sessions. Each case varies according to the personality of the individual. In the words of one counselor, “You never know what will come up. I spend a lot my time making referrals, but most of what I do is crisis intervention.” Crisis intervention demands a sympathetic, nonjudgmental attitude and a supportive approach no matter what situation the addict is in, and, as one counselor put it, “You see everything.”

Many people who are drawn to this career have deep-seated personal or religious beliefs about its social value. Between drug addiction and the range of other problems that often accompany it, such as homelessness, mental illness, and AIDS, death is an unfortunately common sight. One of the great challenges of this noble avocation is learning to control emotions of anger, frustration and even bonds of friendship that can undermine the counselor-patient relationship.