Posts Tagged ‘substance abuse counselor’
Question by ebizartistry: For substance abuse counselors…Question about your profession.?
What are some of the ethical issues in your profession of dealing and working with involuntary clients? Complete explanations are most desired as I am doing some research on issues in your profession. Thanks!
Best answer:
Answer by michele
One major problem with involuntary/court-ordered clients involves the issue of informed consent. If a client is compelled to attend treatment, “informed consent” becomes a moot point. Theoretically (and ethically) this shouldn’t happen. When treatment is not voluntary, informed consent becomes an incredibly sticky area.
Another issue with court-ordered clients involves the definition of WHO , precisely, is the client. Oftentimes, it is not the person receiving services who is actually paying for it. In the eyes of some therapists, that makes the payor (i.e., the state, the prison system, department of children’s services, etc) the “client”, and puts the therapist squarely in a CONSULTANT role.
Confidentiality (or lack thereof) represents yet another ethical dilemma with court-ordered clients. If is often the case that reports must be made to the state (or the agency compelling the person to be in treatment) regarding treatment progress, etc. In voluntary situations, this information could only be revealed IF the client signs a release form. In the case of involuntary clients, some therapists believe that such reports constitute a (required) confidentiality breach.
Finally, the bottom line, is that many non-voluntary clients do not want to be in therapy. Many will refuse to actively participate in therapy. Therefore, in many cases, precious little therapeutic progress will be made. This nets yet another ethical quandary, in that psychologists are ethically bound to discontinue treatment with clients who are clearly not making progress in therapy.
Best of luck in your research,
~M~
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Approaches You Don't Know About for Helping Someone With Substance Abuse
As a psychologist working in the field of substance abuse treatment, I am in direct contact with families every day with a full range of serious problems. I know that substance abuse problems vary in terms of severity, fright and heartbreak, and yet I …
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Mindfulness Therapy May Help Prevent Substance–Abuse Relapse in Long Term
They found that cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention (RP) and mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) are both effective aftercare interventions following substance abuse treatment, but that the latter may have a more enduring effect. The study …
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Drug abuse treatment clinic asked to close doors
"The clinic is in violation of zoning ordinance because it's a substance abuse clinic," Phillips said. "Those clinics are only allowed in the M-1 zone, which is light industrial but the location of the clinic is in the B-3 arterial business district …
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Question by : How much do rehab counselors make ?
So i am starting to see what i am interested in when im older… and ever since a loss of a family member to drugs i have been interested in the career tittle of helping other with drugs and alcohol addictions .. So i been thinking about a Drug/Alcohol Counselor… but what exactly do they do and how much do they make… ive looked on the internet but they never really gave me a straight answer (the area i would work would be San Diego/Los Angeles California area)
Best answer:
Answer by jannsody
I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one. How terrific that you’re wanting to make a difference though. A drug and alcohol counselor (or “addictions specialist” or “substance abuse counselor”) needs to get certified and have gotten a lot of clinical fieldwork experience with an actual patient caseload under supervision. A lot of jobs prefer those with a master’s degree. Some community colleges offer an associate (two-year) degree program in addictions counseling and that may help one to realize if he or she would like to continue in the field with training. There may be a bachelor’s degree in substance abuse counseling, too.
For general career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search ‘counselors’ or such.
This site has more specific information about addictions counseling: http://www.naadac.org and can click “education” and then “certification” or such.
For more information about addictions (and other types of) of counseling and to search for accredited programs in counseling: http://cacrep.org/index.cfm/for-students
With schooling, please avoid those private overly priced For-profit schools such as strayer, ashworth, devry, ITT tech, capella, argosy, keiser, aiu, walden, university of phoenix, colorado tech, kaplan, ashford, sanford brown, anthem, pima institute, brown mackie and others as they are merely out to “make a profit” (** and their course credits may NOT transfer to other schools).
These consumer sites have negative posts by former students about those private $ $ for-profit schools, and please heed the students’ warnings:
– http://www.ripoffreport.com
– http://www.pissedconsumer.com
– http://www.complaintsboard.com and can search.
U.S. colleges: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ
To search for possible local volunteer opportunities (including perhaps for a Crisis Helpline in which one would listen to the callers as opposed to giving advice): http://www.volunteermatch.org
Alex Wilson Counseling Services
Alex Wilson is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist, International Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor practicing in Greensboro, NC. Since 2006 he has practiced as a Grief and …
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Rutgers responds to NJ heroin problem
… Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse show the prevalence of this trend. “In 2012, there were more than 8,300 admissions to state-licensed or certified substance abuse treatment programs due to prescription drug abuse, an increase of 200 …
Read more on RU Daily Targum
Dine Out April 24 For St. Louis Effort For AIDS
Those employees include six certified application counselors who have been assisting clients with enrollment in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplace, made possible through a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. More than 30 …
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Heroin epidemic younger, whiter
Drugs take their money, pride, families, jobs, self-esteem, and sometimes, even their lives. Michael Flunder believes he's here only by the grace of God. An addict for 20 years, Mr. Flunder, 60, works as a substance abuse counselor in Toledo and comes …
Read more on Toledo Blade
Sunset Park drug counseling center expanding its mission
Donna Mae DePola (seated) and Dona Pagan are two of the friendly faces recovering drug addicts and alcoholics will find at The Resource Training and Counseling Center in Sunset Park. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas …
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Courier Times Community Calendar for April 14
Support group for women with cancer and their caregivers. Center for Women's Health, 540 N. Woodbourne Rd., Langhorne. Free. Monica 215-750-6611, ext. 125. Nar-Anon. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Relatives and friends concerned about addiction or drug problem of …
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Question by Ð4MÃN!™ (End the Fed!): Has the field of Psychiatry been infilitrated by drug companies?
Psychiatry, in a pure sense, should not involve drugging people. Psychiatrists should seek to cure their patient’s mental disorders or issues through natural means, and this is VERY possible. There is no need to drug over 30 million Americans every day. Its ridiculous.
I believe the answers is yes, so the real question may be: To what extent?
Psychiatrists are sponsored by drug companies, and are so loose with their prescription pads. They don’t do much asides from prescribing drugs. Its unfortunate, really.
Richard Louv, a scientist who studies a term he coined himself, “natural-deficit disorders” studies how so many of the mental disorders which psychiatrists work can be dealt with through other means, such as exposure to nature. It is absolutely not necessary to drug millions of Americans.
I’m not sure what the percentage is, but a substantially large percentage of the American population takes drugs for depression-related purposes.
He authored a book, titled “Last Child in the Woods” – Check it out if you want.
Best answer:
Answer by Seinen Wakichou
Yes, but to be fair, there are a lot of people who have been helped by those drugs. I think they are over prescibed, but having worked with schizophrenic homeless people in my younger days, some of the people who we were able to get medical attention were greatly improved in terms of their ability to function, care for themselves, and relate to people. That said, it is more than a coincidence that there are epidemics of disorders like Adult Attention Deficit Disorder whenever there is a drug developed to cure it.
Answer by pioneer
Our society is *gradually* letting go of the outdated belief that “mental health problems” are “diseases,” which can be best treated by doctors trained in human psychology. Because the SYMPTOMS of many “mental illnesses” like AD-HD really DO recede with strategic medications, the argument that psychiatrists should prescribe drugs for selected conditions seems valid. “Herbal remedies” (and shamans) for emotional and physical distress have been around for thousands of years in all societies, so chemicals have a long-standing place in easing human discomfort.
Some psychiatrists over-medicate and mis-medicate – for example, prescribing mood-control drugs for “depression” – which is often a misdiagnosis of unfinished (normal) grief.. A demonstrable phenomenon is the “Placebo effect” – people who are told drugs will alleviate discomfort DO “feel better,” despite the drugs being bogus (like sugar pills). Part of the problem is that many patients only trust medication, and distrust “psycho-babble” (qualified counseling).
“Developed” nations are slowly growing to accept “non-traditional” health practices long known in older civilizations, like acupuncture, massage, and meditation.
Bottom line – I disagree with your conclusions.
Dangers of Emergency Contraceptives
It isolates the most at-risk women (teenagers and those in unstable relationships) from getting the medical care they need to diagnose sexually transmitted diseases and access appropriate contraceptive counseling. And in certain situations, emergency …
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Level Green seminar to warn about drug dangers
Bane's experience in drug intervention and therapy includes a 20-year stint as Gateway High School's coordinator of student assistance before that position was eliminated. In that role, Bane worked with students who needed to be referred to counseling …
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DUI Trial Starts for Torrance Substance Abuse Counselor
A defense attorney conceded today that a substance abuse counselor downed two airplane-sized bottles of vodka shortly before fatally striking a pedestrian, but claimed the victim leapt at the car, while a prosecutor said the motorist drove two miles …
Read more on Patch.com
Bethell murder case hearing scheduled Feb. 11
Bethell, a substance abuse counselor, was shot in the head. Investigators previously said it appeared Bethell walked in on a burglary at her home. Deng's DNA was found at Bethell's home and prosecutors eventually charged Deng as an adult with murder in …
Read more on Aurora Beacon News
RehabHotline.org Reveals U.S. Addiction Epidemic
RehabHotline is a cost-free drug and alcohol hotline with knowledgeable counselors available to take calls and help individuals find the right substance abuse treatment program. The organization's objective is to inform callers about addiction …
Read more on SYS-CON Media (press release)
Question by Lucifer: What do I do to become a chemical health or mental health counselor?
I want to become a chemical health counselor or a mental health counselor or do therapy with people that are recovering from drug addiction or mental health. I want to do this because I have had a history with drugs and depression, and want to help others and give back I guess. I’m in high school, and am going to be graduating in a couple years. I think about other careers doing things I like, like playing music or fixing electronics, but I couldn’t imagine doing either as a career. The more I think of counseling and therapy, it’s something I am passionate about and I know a lot about chemical health and mental health. I talked with the chemical health counselor at my school, we talk every couple weeks, but I told him that this is what I want to do, which I haven’t told anyone else until then, and he was saying that the way he did it was at a University and went for psychology. But he said for psychology, to be able to do anything you have to get a lot of education for it and a higher degree. He had a friend that didn’t get as high a degree as he did and now he can’t really do anything for it, but he’s had other friends do it through just getting the license for counseling, and when you get that, it gives you way more options, and you can do generals at a community college and then go get a license and save a lot of money. So what’s the way he’s talking about by just getting a license? How do I do that? And if that info was misleading, what’s the best way to go for doing this? And how much will school probably cost?
Best answer:
Answer by jannsody
You’re commended for wanting to help others who were in similar situations as yourself. A lot of substance abuse counselors are “in recovery” (from addiction) themselves. For those interested in becoming a licensed addiction counselor, please look into getting the credentials of CAC which stands for Certified Addiction Counselor.
Most CACs (or similar credentials) have a master’s degree such as in counseling or social work (or perhaps psychology, but the two former may get more practical experience, including a clinical internship).
Someone with a master’s degree in social work (MSW) can also become a licensed-clinical social worker (LCSW) and administer psychotherapy (“talk therapy”) and/or cognitive-behavioral therapy (cbt). A LCSW may also open up a private practice, however, usually after getting a lot of experience in the field since private practice is so autonomous. A licensed social worker may get reimbursement from health insurance companies, too.
A person with a master’s degree in counseling needs to do various clinical internships, too, and may apply for reimbursement for patient claims (for therapy). The person would take a licensure examination after getting a passing score for the clinical internships and then get the credentials of LPC or licensed professional counselor (or in some states, “licensed mental health counselor”). I believe that the general consensus is that a LCSW degree may be more versatile than a counseling degree. You may want to speak with both a LCSW and LPC for more information, too.
Most licensed psychologists have a doctorate (PhD or PsyD).
This website has more info re: the various credentials for becoming a licensed addiction professional: http://www.naadac.org/certification
For more info re: counselor certification and state licensure: http://www.nbcc.org/OurCertifications
General career info: http://www.bls.gov/ooh and can search “substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors”, “social workers”, “counselors” or such.
With regard to schooling (for any field), please do *avoid* those private For-profit schools such as devry, ITT tech, strayer, university of phoenix, capella, argosy, grand canyon, aiu, Kaplan, ashworth, pima medical, Everest, stratford career, walden, art institute, concorde career, ecpi, regis, penn foster, ashford, full sail, icdc, Sanford brown, keiser and others. Their course credits usually do ** NOT ** transfer to other schools, even if the for-profit school is regionally accredited as opposed to only nationally accredited.
This consumer site has a lot of negative posts by former students of those for-profit schools, and please heed the students’ warnings: http://www.complaintsboard.com and can search.
Please instead consider the more affordable *community college* (as you’d mentioned) and/or the *state-public university* as long as the program is accredited within the industry. Just an fyi that “American public university” is a for-profit school.
Some community colleges offer an associate (two-year) degree in “human services” (or similar major), and it may allow the student to get his/her “feet wet” in the field as the student usually needs to get a passing score for the clinical fieldwork placements. Another fyi, however, that someone with an associate’s in human services may “only” qualify for a clerical position or some type of “aide” or “assistant”.
If the local community college(s) offers an associate’s in “addiction counseling”, that will require many clinical internship hours, and just to reiterate that a lot of jobs for addiction counselor require a master’s degree.
For U.S. colleges (though please still forgo those for-profit schools): http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ
This site is supposed to have accredited programs in social work education: http://www.cswe.org/Default.aspx?id=17491
For accredited programs in counseling: http://www.cacrep.org/directory/directory.cfm
You’re probably familiar with the 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The only requirement is having the desire to get sober. There may be “open” AA meetings if there is no drinking problem: http://www.aa.org/
For some common mottos pertaining to those 12-step programs which includes “One day at a time”, “First things first” and “People, places and things”: http://www.royy.com/toolsofrecovery.html
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Hunter would benefit from counselling, said defence lawyer Robert McFadden. A year's probation was imposed when Hunter must stay away from alcohol and drugs while taking counselling. Nathan Roy Adams, 22, of Sarnia, pleaded guilty to theft and …
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Tyler Johnson, Mall In Columbia Shooting Victim, Was Getting Life Together
We're making arrangements for counselling to be made available to Zumiez employees in the area. As you can imagine, we are receiving … Tyler Johnson was a young man recovering from a battle with drug addiction. Working at Zumiez was part of his road …
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Investigation: Drugs in Oxford
The discovery of cocaine traces in a number of locations across Oxford suggests that for some students at least, university is a time for experimentating with recreational drugs. How prevalent is drug use in Oxford University? …. “Lifeline Project is …
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