How to Become A Substance Abuse Counselor

Substance Abuse Counselor

Substance abuse counselors have become essential with the rising addiction rates throughout society. Substance abuse counselors specialize in helping patients struggling with substance use adjustment disorder. They’re not psychologists, and usually, they only have a master’s in counseling. However, they’re specialists when working with people who are struggling with addiction or have loved ones struggling with it.¹

Learn About Addiction Counselors

Addiction Counselors: Their Role In Recovery

What Is a Substance Abuse Counselor?

A substance abuse counselor is a mental health counselor specializing in helping patients struggling with substance use disorder. People will typically seek out substance abuse counseling if they’re struggling with dependency, if someone they’re close to is struggling, or they fear that they might fall into the cycle of addiction.¹

Unlike regular sessions, substance abuse counselors will help a client find jobs, develop support networks, and create manageable plans for the patient’s life.¹ Also, they will work with the patient’s family to help them work through the pain and trauma caused by the substance use disorder. Finally, they will help patients find the root of their addictive behavior.¹

When Do You Need a Substance Abuse Counselor?

A person should seek substance abuse counseling when they believe they’re struggling with addiction. One of the best tools you can use is the DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder. Some of those criteria are as follows:²

Using a substance in excess (longer or larger quantities)
Not being able to cut back
Cravings
A lot of time dedicated to the use or recovery from the substance
Not finishing tasks due to the substance
Needing more to get a high/developing tolerance
Withdrawal symptoms
Putting yourself in danger
Using instead of going to important activities
Relationship problems due to substance use
Continuing to use despite having physical or psychological ailments due to it

Often, a person might seek counseling if they notice their lives revolve around a substance. Health problems can sometimes be a wake-up call that something is wrong, too. Usually, family members or friends might express concern that you struggle with substance use disorder. Lastly, a person may struggle with money because they spend so much on the addiction.² If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use disorder, counseling is a great step in the healing process.

The Role of the Counselor in Addiction Recovery

Drug abuse counseling aims to create an environment and support system for a client that allows them to recover from whatever they’re struggling with. This is true for all substance use disorders. The counselor’s role is to build trust with a patient and help them build long-term habits and routines that will help them recover and sustain recovery long-term.

Create A Therapeutic Alliance with Patients

Building a therapeutic alliance with a patient is critical to their success. It can be challenging to decide to seek out drug counseling. Therefore, a substance abuse counselor must build trust with the patient to feel comfortable. This allows them to be vulnerable and honest when figuring out the issues in their life. A counselor does this by showing empathy, being attentive, understanding what they’re saying, and ensuring that you care foremost about their well-being.³

Encourage Patient Recovery

Many times, there are ebbs and flows when it comes to recovery. Some periods might be very easy, but others can be tough. The role of a substance abuse counselor is to encourage the patient to continue with the recovery process. Although counselors can’t change their patients, they can motivate them to make needed changes.³

Identifying Issues and Create Goals and Treatment Plans

A drug abuse counselor will help a patient identify issues or triggers in their life that are driving them to their substance of choice. Many times, counselors will help the patient to dive deeper into their past to find the root causes of why they struggle with addiction in the first place. Also, they will help patients create short-term goals and long-term goals to help them along the road to recovery. Creating these goals sets up a manageable treatment plan to help the patient recover. These treatment plans also include a relapse prevention plan, which helps in the case of a potential relapse.³

Teaching Clients Coping Mechanisms

Substance abuse therapists will help clients learn different coping mechanisms to help them get through the stress of their day-to-day lives. Often, therapists will help clients identify the things that trigger stress, and then they’ll create a stress management plan to help clients seek out healthy outlets instead of their addiction. Examples of coping mechanisms would be mindfulness, support groups, checklists or agendas, and possibly affirmations.

Meet With Family Members to Provide Guidance

One of the most essential steps to substance abuse counseling is helping the family members cope with their trauma because of the addiction. Daily interactions with family can cause specific triggers that might lead to relapse. Therefore, it’s important for the family counseling to work together to help with recovery. Sometimes, this will involve talking through their hurts and pains from the addiction, and other times, it might include strategies to help the family member recover better.³

Helping Clients Find Jobs or Re-establish Their Career

This can be tough for clients, especially if they get out of prison. Substance use disorder impacts people at all levels, and it can be very difficult to re-establish a career. Substance abuse therapists will help their clients find jobs or help them get into school. This will set the client on a pathway to success by teaching them good skills and replacing the behavior with a healthy activity like work. Drug counselors will help their clients seek employment opportunities and might have a few connections.

Refer Patients to Outside Support Groups

A substance abuse counselor will also help patients find outside support groups to push them along the path of recovery. Many times, these will be 12-Step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. These groups can create a community for a patient to begin the recovery process in a healthy environment. They might also refer them to community-based programs or outpatient rehab treatment centers.³

Providing Updates and Progress Reports to Courts

Struggling with substance abuse disorder can lead to arrests for different issues directly or indirectly related to the addiction. The drug counselor’s responsibility is to update the court at hearings about a patient’s progress toward sobriety and recovery. They will discuss how the patient is doing and responding to treatment.

Setting Up Aftercare Plans

Eventually, a patient will no longer need substance abuse therapy. At that point, the therapist will set up an aftercare plan for the patient to continue to succeed long-term. This will often include a plan that involves a 12-Step group or a different form of counseling.

Other Responsibilities

Some other responsibilities a drug abuse counselor might have could be community outreach, helping a patient through specific steps in the recovery process, finding a group home that works well for the patient, or seeking a diagnosis for patients struggling with a dual diagnosis.

Substance Use Disorders During the Pandemic

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there’s been an increase in opioid and stimulant misuse.⁴ This goes alongside many other substance use disorders and mental health disorders that have increased since March 2020. More than 13% of Americans increased substance use to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.⁴ Sadly, the increase in substance abuse and the pandemic has a strong correlation.

The Relationship Between the Pandemic and Drug Use

Things such as layoffs, economic stress, drug availability, and loneliness can all explain why drug use has increased. The pandemic caused a lot of stress on people, and many of them didn’t have coping mechanisms to handle it. Therefore, many people turned to substances to try and decrease the stress and loneliness in their day-to-day life. Also, there has been a spike in drug overdoses, primarily due to isolation. When people have an adverse reaction to a drug, they’re much less likely to receive help if they’re by themselves.⁴

How Has The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected the Existing Treatment Options?

One way the pandemic has impacted treatment options is by creating telemedicine. People can meet with a substance abuse counselor over the phone or seek out a 12-Step group without going in person. This can be seen as good and bad. It doesn’t take a person out of their everyday circumstances, but it does make care more accessible. Many people have avoided hospitals because of COVID, which may have also led to the rise of opioid addiction and overdoses.⁴

A Further Look at Addiction and COVID-19

High on lockdown: Substance abuse during the pandemic | COVID-19 Special

Factors Contributing to a More Challenging Environment for Addicts in Pandemic

The pandemic has added many challenges to the fight against substance use disorder. Before the pandemic, there were many organizations and places where addicts felt like they could replace dirty needles, seek medical treatment, and seek rehabilitation. However, many people have stopped using these resources due to the pandemic. Several factors have caused this to become a much more challenging environment for addicts.

The Impact of COVID

For one, COVID itself has a bigger impact on people with substance use disorders. It causes more severe side effects and can be very damaging, potentially deadly.⁴ Because of this, many addicts have been hospitalized or quarantined for longer periods, leading to a disruption in their recovery plan.

The Impact of Social Distancing

The impact of social distancing can’t be understated. Many addicts used activities such as working out, going to restaurants, or meeting up before a 12-Step meeting in person as a part of their recovery plan. When those things shut down, it made it much more challenging to stay on the path of recovery. Social distancing has also caused people to feel more alone and isolated, leading to more cravings and the desire to go back into old habits.

Limited Access to Support, Counseling, and Life-Saving Drugs

The pandemic has also reduced easy access to support, counseling, and life-saving drugs. A person who overdoses is less likely to get a hospital bed due to current shortages within the medical field. Also, many patients don’t feel comfortable with telehealth, which has prevented them from seeking in-person counseling. Finally, losing the ability to meet up in person with a 12-Step group or sponsor has had a detrimental impact on people struggling with substance use disorder.⁴

Increase In Need for Addiction Counseling Professionals

Because of these factors, there’s an increased need for addiction counseling professionals. We need more people to help the ever-increasing number of people struggling with substance use disorder. As things have begun to open back up, there’s been a high demand for counselors to help with the addictions developed during the pandemic. Substance abuse counselors can be that person someone trusts, enabling them to begin the process of healing from substance use disorder.

The Role and Impact of Counselors During a Pandemic

Therapists play a crucial role in helping people recover from the pandemic. They can share accurate information while helping patients keep a grounded perspective during chaotic times. They can also use dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or CBT methods to help patients learn coping mechanisms to handle stress better.⁵

Counselors Support to Clients During the Pandemic

The primary role of a counselor is to support their client. More than ever, this is essential to helping a patient cope with daily life. During the pandemic, counselors have assisted clients in several different ways.

Anxiety Management

One big way that counselors can help patients is by helping them manage their anxiety. The pandemic increased anxiety in people because it brought insecurity in both finances and health. Counselors can help patients learn to manage their anxiety and things causing stress inside their lives. Counselors will use different techniques depending on the patient. However, using mindfulness and other tactics can be very beneficial.⁵

Information Giving

Drug abuse counselors can also give information to clients. Many clients might not know where they can seek help or resources. If their 12-Step group decided to shut down during the pandemic, a substance abuse counselor could help them find one meeting online. They can also give them information on where to find treatment for their addiction, and potentially COVID-19.⁵ Counselors can help them sort through misinformation and provide them with actual details.

Culturally Responsive Service in Clinical Practice

It’s essential to provide culturally responsive service when counseling a client. Depending on their background or beliefs, they may be reacting to the pandemic in entirely different ways. Getting to know a client could be the first step in building trust. Asking questions and being a good listener is your best bet for being culturally responsive. Also, being aware of potential factors within their culture can also help.⁶

The Growing Use of Technology in Counselling

Technology is becoming more and more popular when it comes to counseling. Patients are turning to telehealth options to avoid meeting in person and risk the chance of infection. Because of this, many counselors are providing online health services. This has made care more accessible to some patients but less accessible to others.

E-counseling Support During Pandemic

During the pandemic, there was an increase in people looking for e-counseling support. Counselors that provide both options can help patients out a lot. Online counseling is much better than no counseling. Having the necessary conversations and practicing exercises will be one of the best ways to help support your clients through the pandemic.

The Move to Virtual Care

More people turning to virtual counseling for mental health help during COVID-19 pandemic

Addiction and Telehealth Modalities in Pandemic and Beyond

As we advance, the methods used for substance abuse counseling will be much more adaptable to a client’s needs. Telehealth will stick around and be a valuable tool for both patients and therapists. Several benefits are moving forward, too.

Psychosocial Aspects of Telehealth

Many people who struggle with substance use disorder struggle with the idea of meeting online out of fear that they won’t have their psychosocial needs met. In-person meetings provide a sense of camaraderie and support that’s difficult to create anywhere else. However, studies have shown that video-based interactions can provide the same quality of interaction as their in-person counterparts. Telehealth offers the same kind of psychosocial benefits as in-person meetings.⁷

Implementation of Virtual Visits

Studies are still being done on the best way to implement virtual visits, which were determined by the APA. Counselors can implement virtual visits into their meetings, which will allow patients to meet with them even if there is a need for quarantine or other circumstances such as bad weather.⁷

Use of Telehealth for Various Treatment Services

Telehealth services matched their in-person counterparts when it came to effectiveness.⁸ It was able to be used for a variety of different treatments.

Intake Assessments

Counselors were able to perform intake assessments with clients to gather more information about their struggles. This allowed them to provide their most immediate needs even amid a pandemic.

Individual And Group Counseling

People were able to meet with counselors one-on-one or in group counseling sessions. This allowed them to keep the same routines they were using before the pandemic, but now they could do so from the convenience of their home. This also allowed individuals who were sick or not feeling to continue treatment from a distance.

Medication Prescribing and Medication Management

Telehealth has been able to be used to renew prescriptions or prescribe them. Doctors have met with patients and provided them with the medication they need. Telehealth has allowed doctors to monitor health issues from a distance when people can’t meet in person.

Benefits And Challenges of Telehealth for Some Patients

Some patients find telehealth to be a great solution to the pandemic. They can get their needs met through telehealth communication, and it allows them to potentially move to a new city without having to change counselors. For other patients, they found it challenging. Different organizations use different services for telehealth. Some of them aren’t as accessible or user-friendly. For clients that aren’t as inept with technology, telehealth wasn’t a pleasing experience. Also, it could be difficult for a patient without internet access or access to a phone to use telehealth services. These challenges are being worked out as we continue to move forward beyond the pandemic.

How a Substance Abuse Counselor Helps Patients and Their Families During the Pandemic and Beyond

Substance abuse counselors have never been more in demand. Learn more in this article.