Supervision is Critical to Success
It may seem difficult for us as counselors to seek out our supervisors’ or other counselors’ advice when we encounter a particularly difficult or challenging client. The tendency, especially in well-seasoned counselors, is to believe that we know the right way – purely from experience. While this may have been the predominant school of thought years ago, today counselors must rely on the evidence-based treatment model, which necessarily includes the input of others. Further, our reliance on the client’s self-guided recovery means that many of the situations we encounter will be unique to that particular circumstance. This is one of the many intricacies of counseling that makes this career path so challenging and at the same time rewarding.
Governmental & Institutional Oversight
Most states, including Florida, closely regulate the addiction treatment industry – and rightly so. The purpose of regulation is to protect those who are at their most vulnerable from counselors and practices that may take advantage of them. Further, these regulations offer counselor and client alike the clarity that they need to understand what is and isn’t generally appropriate in the treatment setting.
26th Annual FLA Workshop
The Academy for Addiction Professionals is proud to be a part of the 26th Annual FLA workshop being held at the Naples Beach Resort Hotel & Golf Club. The Event will take place on July 27 and July 28 of 2012.
Ben Brafman, dean and founder of The Academy will be the keynote speaker at this event and those who qualify will receive Continuing Education credit for attending.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Understanding Addiction In those Suffering from Obesity
By Dr. Matthew Lublin, Bariatric Surgeon
As a bariatric surgeon, many patients come into my office wanting to lose a significant amount of weight, thinking that once the weight is gone, all their problems will cease to exist – the burdens, both physical and mental, that they’ve been carrying for years, will be wiped away. While it is easy to blame all of our problems on our weight or appearance, and certainly many problems stem from that, it is not often as simple as losing weight that allows us to resolve our deep-seated issues.
Recovery is Unique for Every Client
Just as every counselor is unique, clients are individual in their needs and desires as well. The individuality of a client is both a challenge and an opportunity for an addiction counselor. This is especially true for a counselor new to the industry. A client’s individuality is a challenge in that “decoding” the client can be a time consuming and frustrating endeavor. This is why counseling is not effective for a few days or a week, but is necessary for much longer periods of time. This individuality is also an opportunity. If the counselor can, in fact, connect with their client, the results can be quicker, more effective and amazingly satisfying for counselor and client alike.
How to Choose an Addiction Counselor
Oftentimes, when our loved ones hit rock bottom, it is us – the families, friends and loved ones – that pave the way for treatment at certain facilities. Undoubtedly, getting treatment at any respectable facility with any competent counselor can be helpful, but choosing a counselor carefully, much like you would choose any other professional is hugely important. When discussing addiction and substance abuse, we’re talking about life or death situations. Addicts are more likely to die both because of the drug and the emotional problems that drug abuse can cause or may be caused by. Further, many addicts can bounce from facility to facility simply because they do not connect with the message.
Recovery is Ultimately Self-Directed
Self-direction revolves around the principle that our clients are the agents of recovery and it is their authority, through informed consent, that allows decisions to be made and recovery protocols to be implemented. As we navigate the waters of recovery with our clients, our goal is to empower them to the point that they understand the choices they have ahead of them and consistently choose the options that are best for their lives and their health.
Social Media and the World of Addiction
Social media has become a staple in the lives of hundreds of millions of people throughout the United States and the world. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become hotbeds of creativity, communication and support. Social media’s presence in the world of addiction is no smaller and no less important as former addicts and those seeking a way out of addiction connect with the people that may ultimately be able to help them.
The Perfect Treatment Plan
As addiction counselors we strive to create the perfect plan for each of our clients. Some of us develop a template, and then realize that it’s not quite right for everyone. Others create matrices that account for every imaginable contingency, yet one more crops up and throws everything off kilter. So how do we make the perfect treatment plan? We don’t. Inherently, just as every human being (counselor or client) is imperfect, so too is every treatment plan. That’s why the treatment plan and the process behind it is so fluid. A treatment plan is a document subject to weekly, even daily change and a document that represents compromise with the client and our facility while always being mindful of the law, ethics and regulations.
Becoming an Addiction Counselor
The nature of addiction counseling is such that becoming a counselor is no easy task. Much like other professions where people’s lives are in your hands, addiction counseling requires a great deal of training, education and dedication. With proper guidance and good organization however, getting started on this new career path can be rewarding both personally and financially. The following are some guidelines to getting started in our industry.