Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

If you are compassionate, like interacting with people, have patience and can listen to the experiences of the people without getting bored, then you have found yourself a perfect job- Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors.

Who is a Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors?

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors, are professional who offer counseling services to people alcohol, drugs, gambling, behavioral problems and eating disorders.

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors advise individuals who are addicted to drugs to help them identify behaviors and issues related as a result of their addictions. They hold counseling sessions for individuals, families, or groups to help them in dealing with their problems.

Role of a Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, also known as "addiction counselors", work with clients both individually and in groups depending upon the need.
  • Help clients recover from their addiction by teaching them the skill to lead a normal life
  • Make individuals, groups and families aware about addiction or behavior disorders and help them to overcome with those problems
  • Assess the  mental and physical health of the client and their acceptability about getting the treatment.
  • Help clients to make goals and achieve them
  • Talk to corporates and other resources for job placement services and support groups for the clients
  • Work closely with the clients to identify situations that inhibits or slow down the process of recovery
  • Make people aware about the addictions and inform them about the ways to avoid them

Skills required

Compassion: Being compassionate is a quality that helps counselors in their work while dealing with people who are in or going through stressful and difficult situations.

Listening skills: Important quality for rehabilitation counselors. Having good listening skills helps the counselors to listen and  understand the clients about their problems, concerns, and values.

Patience: A must have skill for rehabilitation counselor-patience, as the clients are already  struggling to cope with their disabilities.

People skills: Ability to work with different types of people is necessary for counselors to help them work  with clients, families, employers, and other professionals.

Speaking skills: Ability to speak clearly, express ideas and percieve information  in such a way that is easily understood by the clients, families, employers and other professionals.

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Job satisfaction
  • Increasing Opportunities
  • Flexible working hours
  • Good career choice if you like interacting with people
  • Flexibility to work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, mental health facilities and private offices
Cons
  • Extended working hours
  • Less full time job opportunities, highly competitive employment market due to a trend towards hiring part-time employees
  • Doing different kind of work daily  can be  frustrating

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