Five Attributes of a Successful Substance Abuse Counselor

Successful Substance Abuse Counselors

Empathetic
Emotionally Intelligent
Does Research
Creative
Maintains Boundaries

Substance abuse is a growing epidemic in the United States. Many people lose their job, their loved ones, and even their lives to substances that trick them with instant good feelings and then betray them with emotional and physical illness. The good news is that the field of substance abuse counseling is growing as quickly as substance abuse itself. Here are five attributes of a successful substance abuse counselor.

Empathetic

Empathy refers to the ability to put oneself in another person’s shoes. It is subtly, but very distinctly, different from sympathy, which refers to having worn the same pair of shoes. No substance abuse counselor will ever have had the exact same experiences as every client. Good substances abuse counselors do not even need to have their own histories of substance abuse. They just have to be willing to get to know each client’s story and create a safe space of sharing and understanding. One of the best ways to demonstrate empathy is to reflect back clients’ feelings and check in frequently to make sure both parties are on the same page.

Emotionally Intelligent

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to manage one’s own emotions and recognize and respond appropriately to those of others. Recovering from substance abuse is an emotionally intense journey. Both client and counselor will experience a wide range of emotions during sessions. Counselors must be able to maintain empathy for clients during work hours, yet leave the cases behind on their own time. In the reverse, they must learn to leave their own emotional circumstances at the door so as not to contaminate sessions with their own emotional struggles. Emotional intelligence also means not taking it personally and reacting defensively when clients take out their aggressions on the counseling process.

Does Research

Empathy and emotional intelligence are ways of interacting with clients. This is only half of the key to success. The other half is maintaining a strong knowledge base. The best substance abuse counselors devote time to reading the latest research on substance abuse and treatment methods. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a great place to find current statistics and articles on substance abuse in the United States. It is also very beneficial to join professional organizations, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association. Membership unlocks access to information, training, and professional networking opportunities.

Creative

People struggling with substance abuse are often resistant to therapy. Substance abuse is a difficult problem to admit, and an even more difficult one to resolve. It is therefore imperative that substance abuse counselors be creative in their approach to treatment. They must meet each client where they are at in the process and find novel ways to make them feel safe. They must learn how to communicate without words, and teach clients to do the same. Sometimes being a good substance abuse counselor means teaming up with others in creative ways, such as the client’s medical doctor and social worker.

Maintains Boundaries

It is very easy for people struggling with substance abuse to become attached to their counselors in place of their substances. Substance abuse frequently involves the lack of and search for meaningful attachments in life. Often, the relationship with a counselor is the first healthy attachment the client is able to form. It is important to remember that this is meant to be a temporary relationship designed to help the client form more permanent attachments with friends, family, hobbies, and professional goals. It is up to the counselor to maintain boundaries from the very beginning so that clients do not feel confused or abandoned when it becomes clear that the counselor is not a permanent and regular fixture in their lives.

Substance abuse counseling is an intense and challenging, yet highly rewarding career. It is also a profession that is necessary in current society. Substance abuse counselors who master these five attributes play a crucial role in ending the substance abuse epidemic.