Personal vision and professional development in alcohol and drug abuse counseling

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling

Personal Vision and Learning

Mission Statement

Ethical Framework

Professional Strengths and Limitations

Identification and fulfillment of Professional Potential

Professional Diversity

Integration of Theory and Practice

Ongoing Professional Developments

Alcohol (and other drugs) abuse is not just a problem of an individual but that of the whole society. This implies that the whole society has a role to play in the rehabilitation of the people who resort to drug abuse when they find it hard to put up with the ups and downs of life. Particularly, the counselors working at the rehabilitation center have a major role to play when it comes to restoring the independence and normalcy in an addict's life.

3. Mission Statement

For the proper growth of a professional counselor, it is necessary for him or her to have a mission statement that would define his or her values and principles in accordance with the professional code of conduct. The mission statement will also determine how he or she wishes to treat the residents of the rehabilitation centers so that they can once again have normal social interactions. Studying different aspects of alcohol and other drug abuse I have also devised a mission statement for my professional life. I believe that all the organizations working for the social uplift of alcohol and other drug addicts should be non-profit organizations. All the counselors who become a part of these organizations should be dedicated to provide dynamic and various kinds of services to the clients who are seeking these services. The residents of the rehabilitation houses should be helped to overcome their dependencies through self-help and motivational treatment. I will be committed to instill in these residents the ability to live and contribute in the community.

4. Ethical Framework

The ethical code of conduct in counseling is a vast subject. According to my knowledge and research, I would sum up this vast subject into three main headings; values of psychotherapy and counseling, personal moral qualities of psychotherapists and counselor and principles of psychotherapy and counseling (Code of Ethics, 2012: 8-11).

Values of Psychotherapy and Counseling

When I talk about the values of psychotherapy and counseling, I refer to the commitment that is required by the counselors pertaining to the respect of human rights and dignity. They need to make sure that the integrity of counselor-client relationship is kept intact. Counselors should be dedicated towards improving the quality of their knowledge and they should apply this knowledge for the relief of personal suffering and distress. One of the fundamental principles that should always be remembered by counselors and other social workers while working with alcohol and other drug abuse is the appreciation and respect of social and cultural diversity.

Moral Qualities of Counselors

Counselors' moral qualities are of great importance because they directly affect the treatment of the clients. All the services that are rendered by the counselors and social workers need to have a moral and ethical component to them, as this is determines what kind of people the clients will be in terms of virtues and morals when they return to the society.

Ethical Principles of Psychotherapy and Counseling

Now comes the most important part of the code of conduct in counseling and social work; the ethical principles of psychotherapy and counseling. This is yet again a very comprehensive topic so I will summarize it in a few sentences. Counselors should keep their fidelity intact. The right of self-governance should be respected when dealing with the clients. The services being provided to the clients should reflect the commitment to promote the well-being of clients. At the same time, the counselors should also be committed to avoid any practice that would harm the clients. Counselors and social workers should ensure impartiality and justice in their services.

5. Professional Strengths and Limitations

Just like any other profession, there are many strengths as well as limitations in the field of practice when it comes to counseling. The professional strengths that I have acquired and have seen counselors make use of their field of practice are elaborated in the following paragraphs. Meanwhile, for professional growth it is important that professionals should analyze the limitations pertaining to the field of practice.

Strengths

When I make an analysis of the professional strengths related to the field of counseling I find that if a counselor has the ability to make effective cognitive interventions, it can be one of his or her most valued professional strength. Many accomplished counselors like Iwona (2012) believe that if you have the ability to make cognitive interventions, you will be able to modify the thoughts as well as the drug-related beliefs of the clients as well.

Being warm, non-judgmental and supportive also plays an important role in devising techniques that would help the client deal with the urge that he or she feels towards the use of drugs. Counselors who are observant and empathetic towards their clients are the ones who are always successful in making their clients give up their addiction and that too without any drug therapy. It is mandatory for counselors to respect their clients, irrespective of their background and problems.

I believe that once you give respect to your clients, they start believing in you. I would not say that it is something that comes easy while practicing in a rehabilitation house, but it is one of the professional strengths that are of utmost importance. It is very important for counselors to develop and then establish effective communication. When working in the field of counseling, communication should be open and two-way. By communication I do not just mean the use of spoken language, but also body language, non-verbal actions and gestures. The strength of effective counselors is that they listen to their clients more than they speak to them (2007: 2).

Limitations

There are also many professional limitations in the field of practice that may to some extent hinder the process of counseling. However, these limitations can be overcome once the people in this field of practice work on their weak areas. What is noticed by many accomplished counselors about those who are young in the field is that they do not interact with the patients as much as they should. I agree that it is not easy to develop a comfort level with a person you have never met or talked to before, but every counselor needs to keep in mind that while he is working with a client he should not involve his personal likes and dislikes. Moreover, it is a very common site to see counselors, who are even working in the same group, hesitate to exchange ideas and help enhance the counseling ability of their colleagues.

Another aspect of professional limitation in the field of practice is that the counselors, at most times are unable to determine what the client wants in terms of advice and help because the clients themselves are going through a very rough patch and they are not stable emotionally to put forth their needs.

Impatience is also one of the very common professional limitations seen in practicing counselors. They want instantaneous results, however "Sellman (2012, pg 13) said that the importance of patience and persistence in practicing new behaviors over long periods of time is important."

6. Identification and Fulfillment of Professional Potential

In order for a counselor to identify his or her professional potential, he or she needs to make sure that he acquires the highest level of education in this field. I also plan to take short courses that offered by many organizations including Odyssey House McGrath Foundation as well as Australian Counseling Association. The short courses that are offered by these organizations help polish the counseling skills of counselors who are in the practice or will be starting shortly. I would also enroll in the Ph.D. program in counseling when I am eligible to do so. I will also devise strategies that would help me integrate the courses so that I am able to apply my knowledge in an effective way. I also plan to not only read research papers, but also work on writing these research papers. There is nothing more helpful to fulfill your professional potential than first-hand experience in the field.

Once I identified my personal professional potential in the field of counseling of people who are alcohol or other drug addicts, I decided to work on some strategies that would help me enhance as well as fulfill my potentials. I feel that I am very supportive and I do not judge my clients in anyway. By devising strategies on this professional potential of mine, I can help my clients in a better way. When patients come to me from different social and cultural backgrounds, I always analyze their situation in their point-of-view. I research on their background and talk to socially normal people who come from the same ethnicity, so that I can figure out what I need to do make them an effective part of the society.

I always make sure that a get an idea of what is going in the mind of the client. I talk to them and ask them what they are feeling about the self-help treatment that they are getting. I always observe them when they trying to abstain themselves from alcohol or any other drug that they were addicted and ask them what strategies have they made for themselves to cope with this addiction.

Another strategy that is also very valuable to me is that I make sure that I take ideas for motivating the clients for all the other counselors, juniors or seniors, for effective counseling.

7. Professional Diversity

Just like any other field, professional diversity in counseling is also an important determinant of the accomplishment of the counselor.

Potential Clients

First of all, I need to analyze the individuals, families or groups of people who are my potential clients and need any kind of help. As mentioned earlier, drug abuse is only a symptom of an underlying problem. As a professional, I need to identify this underlying problem before I proceed to management of alcohol and other drug abuse. As we all know that stress has been labeled as the major problem that drives people to get addicted to certain drugs. According to Khantzian (1985), "the hypothesis of self-medication predicts that some people abuse drugs when they try to self-medicate themselves to treat their intolerable state of mind." Although, stress can be caused because of any reason, people who have been exposed to some kind of trauma in the past are more prone to find themselves in stressful conditions than the normal population, reckon Vlahov, Gelea and Resnick (2002).

Apart from the people mentioned above, my potential clients are those who feel that they are social outcasts. They are young people who feel that they do not fit in the society and think of themselves as failures. These people also deserve the self-help treatment.

Another group of people who I consider my potential clients are people who themselves did not have any reason or urge to consume drugs, but they found themselves in bad company. They consume drugs just for the sake of trying it out and then later on get addicted to it.

Organizations

There are two main organizations that I would especially like to mention here as they offer the kind of services, to the people who are alcohol and other drug abusers; I would like to become a part of. The first organization is the Odyssey House McGrath Foundation. This organization is one of the very few ones that offer therapeutic community treatment to the people who need help and these people are not treated with medicines. This organization applies the principles of self-help and other motivational techniques for the social recovery of the clients. Since its inception, Odyssey House has been successful in changing the life of about 30,000 drug addicts in Australia and more than 1,000 children whose parents were addicts (Odyssey House, 2012). This organization offers employment opportunities to the counselors who make sure that they work in the code of conduct devised by the House, which is based on five pillars. These five pillars are love, consideration, honesty, trust and responsibility. Honesty is taken special care of at Odyssey House. Any resident or counselor for that matter who is seen to violate the code of conduct and work against the ethical framework is asked to leave the House.

The second one is Australian Counseling Association, which is the largest registration body for counselors and psychotherapists in Australia. This organization is based on more than 3,000 members who serve a crucial role in the profession of counseling. The reason why I would like to be a part of this organization is that they promote the profession of counseling and has always been representing its members to government and the industry. Moreover, ACA has the reputation of establishing appropriate standards for training in this profession. ACA also plays a very active role in the appropriate education and development of the counselors. It has also established its code of conduct and it is made sure that the counselors follow it.

"Allied health professionals are the people who are employed the healthcare system distinct from nursing, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry" (Asahp org. 2012). Alcohol and other drug abuse counselors are not considered as allied health professionals. This is because they are not involved in the preventive treatment of these people. These counselors only do their job once a person has gotten involved in alcohol or other drug abuse.

8. Integration of Theory and Practice

Behavioral programming is considered by many professionals as the critical technique to treat people who have developed addiction to a certain drug or drugs. "From the literature that us found on applied behavior analysis and behavioral psychology, we get to see evidence that is based on the intervention programs being adopted by the counselors and counseling organizations. O'Donohoue (2006) believes that these programs consist of four main strategies; behavioral marital therapy, cue exposure therapy, community reinforcement approach and contingency management. Apart from these there are also other behavioral treatments that are being applied such as the community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT). These programs have played a vital role in helping the members of the family to get their loved ones who have gotten involved in drugs, to get treatment.

It is important for counselors to know what is meant my addiction in theory and then they should apply this knowledge when they are dealing with rehabilitation house residents. Addiction is characterized as a complex disease that is treatable. It is the compulsive craving to consume the drugs. As people continue to take these drugs, they become addicted to it and if this addiction becomes chronic they need to seek professional help.

Treatment is not the same for every kind of drug abuse. Counselors need to make sure that they are aware of the types of drugs that are used in drug abuse and the treatment that should be used in order to treat these addicts.

Moreover, the treatment also varies from country to country. Although, there are some standards of counseling of alcohol and other drug abuse, all the counselors need to modify their services according to the circumstances. In some countries the "successful" outcome of rehabilitation is considered to be the complete abstinence from all kinds of drugs, meanwhile in some countries the target of the counselors is to convince his or her client to control his or her drinking addiction. It is not easy to convince people to give up on their addictions and sometimes counselors have to face atypical situations about which they have not studied in theory. In this regard, I believe that they should take help from the expertise of accomplished counselors.

9. Ongoing Professional Developments

There are many new treatment protocols being adopted by different rehabilitation houses. One of the latest treatment protocols is that of Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Use. This method of treatment has been developed (and is being practiced at the Odyssey House) is a new treatment protocol that will be used for people who have become addicted to ATS.

This treatment is of longer duration and may take up to several months. ATS is a kind of psycho stimulant drug and its abuse has been on the rise for the past few years. This is why development in the treatment of its addiction is being made at a fast pace. However, the evidence of withdrawal and dependence on ATS is quite limited. This is one of the major challenges to devise strategies for treatment since most of the strategies made for counseling of alcohol and other drug abuse are based on alcohol and opiate addiction. Moreover, there are also not many pharmacotherapies available for this kind of addiction. Apart from convincing the clients to give up on the drug, we also have to address the mental health issues and behavioral changes that are caused by the use of ATS as a part of the treatment.

This project has been prepared by the CEO of Odyssey House, James Pitts in collaboration with Lynne Magor-Blatch, a consultant Clinical Psychologist (Odyssey House, 2012).

The reason why I would like to be a part of this project is that the process that was involved in the development of this protocol has a lot of things to teach me and other young counselors. A literature review was written down regarding the background problems associated with ATS along with an analysis of the available treatments for ATS abuse. Before finalizing the protocol, consultation was taken from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association.

Some of the people who have been successfully treated from ATS dependence present some challenges, which need to be worked on. Many of the ATSA users develop mental health issues with which we have to deal separately. Also if ATS users develop these problems, we have to give them more time and attention. Many users who use ATS, they are most likely to be users of many other drugs as well. It has also been reported that many ATS users are not compatible with the counselors or other staff members at the rehabilitation houses. All these problems result in a longer duration of treatment that can also go up to about 12 weeks.

In some countries of the world, the residential drug treatment is being based on an integrated approach and these programs are referred to as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This approach does not only depend on the medicinal treatment of the addiction, but also on counseling. In this kind of approach we look at relationship between feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Giannini (1996: 1389-90) claims that since CBT looks at addiction as a behavior instead of a disease, the CBT programs appreciate the fact that for some people controlled use is a better option than complete abstinence of the drug.

10. Conclusion

As the use of drugs increases with every passing day, there are many challenges that the counselors will have to face in the future, and are still facing today. For me, the most important resort to smoothly overcome these challenges is acquiring more and more knowledge. By knowledge I do not mean that I will just look for new strategies to counsel the residents of the rehabilitation houses, but I will I acquire knowledge by reading about the developments in counseling as a profession. Many new drugs are being used about which many of us do not. I am committed to learn about these drugs as well as the treatment protocols.

Moreover, I also believe that a lot of work needs to be done to develop and expand counseling as a profession. There are only few institutions that give training to individuals who want to become counselors in future. I believe that accomplished counselors should share their experiences with the new comers in the profession. Government should also take special interest to ensure that there is adequate number of rehabilitation houses with appropriate facilities for both the residents and the counselors.

I would never think that my professional growth has been completed. I will always polish my professional strengths and I will always work on my weak areas. I have always taken special care of my attitude when dealing with the clients, as my moral values can affect their behavior as well.

My only aim is to be dedicated towards my profession and my ultimate goal of bringing back to the society the people who have gotten lost in the world of addiction. My objective would be not just to treat their addiction but to make them citizens who would contribute to the society, through my knowledge, professional skills and experience.