What Does A Drug Counselor Do?
Whether you are considering a career as a substance abuse counselor, know someone who sees a counselor or you are considering seeing one yourself, you will likely have the question, "what does a drug counselor do?"
Drug counselors are experts that provide counseling to people who are addicted to any form of drugs and helps them to recognize problems and behaviors that led to their dependence on the drug.
Drug counselors offer counseling not only to drug addicts but also to people who are afraid to be or have the potential to be addicted to drugs. They also offer group counseling that allows each participant to share their experiences and gain support from others in fighting their addictions.
- Counseling
The main role of drug counselor is to counsel individuals or groups that are having drug addiction or are afraid to be one. Drug counselors offer an individualized approach in counseling, provide motivation and support in helping their clients fight and avoid addiction.
In the process, counselors also include family members and friends that are affected with the situation, helping them to cope with the recovery process of the patient, teach them how to support the patient especially during the treatment period as well as providing drug abuse prevention programs.
In counseling, drug counselors help their patients to recognize factors that cause their addiction, make them understand why such factors trigger their addiction and assist them to overcome such temptations in abusing drugs.
- Recovery and Follow-up Assessment
Discharge planning and follow-up care is also a vital role of drug counselors in the entire process of the patients’ treatment and recovery. Once a patient had already recovered from their addiction, drug counselors assist their clients to cope back with the society. The best way to do this is to assist clients to get a job and socialize as well.
Drug counselors provide guidance to their clients and guiding them towards the right path, giving them the opportunity not to be tempted to go back to their previous addictions and ruin their lives again.
- Community Awareness
Aside from providing counseling and treatment plans for drug-abusers, drug counselors also provide community awareness. It is a part of their job to inform the public about the physical and psychological aspects that leads people to drug abuse and letting them know the consequences of drug addiction and the importance of avoiding it.
Being a drug counselor requires you to have the compassion, patience and empathy in order to be successful in this career. A drug counselor’s job encompasses a lot of duties and responsibilities. Though the demands for drug counselors are significantly increasing, the number of people who have the will and passion to endure the stresses involved in this job would be minimal. But the most rewarding part about this job is being able to direct somebody’s life to what is right.
Related posts:
- How Long Does It Take To Become A Drug Counselor?
- How Much Does A Drug Counselor Make?
- How To Become A Drug Counselor
- What Are The Requirements To Become A Marriage Counselor?
- How To Become A Marriage Counselor
