Getting a Job in Addiction Treatment
Getting a job in today’s business climate has proven to be a challenge for many aspiring behavioral techs and counselors. On a very positive note, however, it is worth remembering that the addiction counseling industry is growing significantly more quickly than many other career paths.
Like other life challenges, finding a job requires dedication and focus. You may remember our blog posts from a few months ago exploring how the addiction treatment industry is a small world. As with other specialized industries, networking and putting yourself in the right place at the right time can allow you to land a job more quickly.
Substance Abuse Counselor Responsibilities
Becoming a substance abuse counselor is a long process and rightly so. Remember, counselors have a very real responsibility to their clients and as such must be well trained and experienced. If you have looked at the certification requirements on our website, you’ll see that it is not easy task to become a counselor. It requires thousands of hours of work experience, minimum education levels and the completion of a comprehensive educational course.
Client Family and Community Relationships
One of the most interesting and frankly important classes we offer is Client, Family and Community Education. It may only be a 15 hour course, but it gets to the crux of the environmental issues that may impact addiction, recovery and relapse. Oftentimes, legitimate use leads to abuse which ends in addiction. Often, during this time, families and indeed communities stand by, either unaware of the problem or unsure as to how to handle it.
As counselors we have to gain perspective of the problem we are facing. A client is usually not willing to immediately discuss their deep-rooted problems. Further complicating the matter, the family may not feel comfortable admitting their role in the problem. It is not uncommon for clients, families and counselors to interpret the same situation very differently.
Addiction Counselor Professional Readiness
With the launch of our latest online class – Professional Readiness – it is worth exploring what professional readiness is and what it means. Within an organization, deeming a professional ready is a job for a supervisor and readiness varies between counselors and their roles within the facility. Readiness can, after all, mean very different things to different clients and programs.
Professional readiness does have several core principles that transcend location, personality and education of the counselor.
The Importance of Documentation
Documentation is not simply a chore. Indeed, documentation is one of the most important parts of a successful addiction counselor’s treatment program. Unfortunately, many counselors, both new and veteran, do not look at documentation with the respect and attention that it needs.
Some seasoned addiction counselors (and documentation skeptics) will posture that over the years or decades that they’ve counseled clients, they never once had to refer back to their documentation in order to answer a question or accusation. Many also believe that documentation is not much more than a distraction from the real purpose of counseling – clients’ recovery from substance abuse and addiction.
Counselor Self-Improvement
A counselor’s quest for self-improvement truly never ends. The best counselors will likely agree that their job is never done and they will certainly never know everything about addiction counseling. This humility and self-understanding is extremely important when it comes to realizing the importance and the need of continuing education and continuing self-development.
The Academy’s New Website
It is our goal to offer the very best and most informational addiction counselor training website on the Internet. As such we are redesigning our website to make it more user friendly and offer quicker access to the features that you want and need. In order for us to ensure you are receiving the very best user experience we need to hear from you!
Please comment on what you would like to see on our new website and anything that the current site may not yet be offering. We are constantly looking for features to add and your input is invaluable.
Online Certified Behavioral Health Technician Class
We’re very proud to announce the launch of the online version of the Certified Behavioral Technician or CBHT class. The CBHT class prepares future addiction techs for the challenges and opportunities that come with working with clients in the treatment industry. The insight gained from this class is exceptionally valuable and this certification can further your career.
The Dangers of Addiction Transfer
Addicts and substance abusers who are able to leave drugs in the rear view mirror have scaled one of the most difficult challenges they will ever face in their lives. Their efforts are to be commended and they should be very proud of their achievement. The dangers, however, do not end after rehab. Everyone knows that there is the possibility of relapse, but fewer people know about a common issue known as addiction transfer.
Addiction Treatment – A Small World
There are some lessons that a classroom or textbook can never teach. These lessons are learned on the ground, through experience or another counselor’s knowledge and mentorship. Counselors, especially those new to the career path, have the option to head warnings and advice or disregard them and learn the hard way. With this blog post we explore the addiction treatment industry and despite its size, how small a world it really is.