[Seth412]

Hi all. So I'm about to launch headfirst into my education to become an addictions counselor.

I have struggled with alcoholism for a little over a decade. I have gotten clean am I am determined to use my insight, experience, and interpersonal skills to help others.

I do not want to be a good counselor. I want to be a great counselor. I want a high success rate and high satisfaction from my clients. I will stop at nothing less.

I was hoping that you all could chime in about your experiences with counselors. What do you look for in a counselor? In your opinion, what makes a great counselor vs an average or bad counselor? What have counselors done that stuck with you or that has helped you? What have you found helpful vs. not so helpful?

Thank you and God bless keep fighting the good fight.

Any input that you can give me would be greatly appreciated

[UpDownAround]

A strong psychology background. A lot of addiction starts as self medicating for a MH issue. I see a therapist with specializations in mood disorders and substance abuse. She has keyed more on managing my BP down swings, which is when I drank and used the most, than on the substance abuse itself. CBT/DBT to work on making real changes and providing tools for real life circumstances.

[splitimage]

I agree with having a strong background in psychology as so many people with addictions also have MH challenges.

My biggest thing is don't just push AA. A good counsellor in my opinion is aware of all the different self help groups, should be able to explain them to clients, and help clients find the group that is right for them.

I also think it's useful to have a good grounding in both CBT and DBT to be able to use those tools to help clients find new coping skills to replace substance use.

splitimage

[emgreen]

Originally Posted by Seth412

I want a high success rate and high satisfaction from my clients. I will stop at nothing less.

I admire your enthusiasm, but try to keep it reasonably focused. A majority of folks who have substance abuse problems never stay sober continuously (I didn't). They may get clean/sober for periods of time, but a majority don't make it uninterrupted. Others simply die miserable deaths...I don't mean to sound grusome, but that's the way it is; suicide, liver disease, overdose, auto accidents, violence...etc. claim many. As UpDownAround suggests many of the skills of a regular therapist would be helpful - including creating a safe, personal space

I agree with splitimage's contention that introducing alternatives besides AA makes sense, too. While AA worked for me, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea.

If you don't mind my asking, how did you get & stay sober? Also, how long have you been sober?

[UpDownAround]

BTW, "strong psychology background" doesn't necessarily mean you need to be a psychologist. You wouldn't need to make diagnoses, but if someone tells you their dx, you should know how it might relate and what questions to ask. For example, if a BP patient only drinks/uses while up or down (one or the other) then they are undoubtedly related and you need to know whether it is up or down that triggers it. I believe that my drinking/using is secondary; I only drink when I am down and learning better coping skills for depression has more of an impact than addressing the drinking by itself.

[Seth412]

Great replies!

The program that I'm going into offers mental health education as part of the ciriculum. That, and my own experience, will hopefully prepare me to deal with co-occuring disorders. Obviously MH won't be my specialty, nor will I be considered a "Mental Health Counselor" in any sense, but I will ideally know enough to recognize MH issues and incorporate it into my treatment. Thank you for the suggestion. I will be sure to put emphasis on my MH training and knowledge. Much appreciated.

I got sober using SMART recovery, and I am pretty young in sobriety on this go-around. Like you said, long term uninterrupted sobriety isn't the case for many, and it has not been the case for me. But it is the goal. I have put together a year here and a year there in the past. Many times it has been my mental health that has driven me to relapse.

SMART uses CBT quite a bit. I plan to facilitate SMART meetings once I have some sobriety under my belt and I'm more of a veteran in the program. Thank you for suggesting CBT and DBT. I will be sure to learn and practice it as much as possible.

My attitude toward the various support groups available is whatever works, works. I'm not big on AA, but man, there are people who have put together 30+ years and counting after many years of serious drinking/drug use. More power to 'em. Gotta respect that.

[emgreen]

Best of luck, Seth! I'm not an AA robot, buy any means. As they say, "Take what you need & leave the rest." I'm not religious or spiritual, so a lot of the program doesn't fit. My AA sponsor has the same issue, however (which helps), & he just celebrated 40 years of continuous sobriety; one of those rare souls who got it right the first time! There are no alternative programs where I live, so it was AA, or nothing...& I know where nothing got me!