Logical thinking in substance abuse counseling with workplace examples

Logical Thinking is an important part of our daily lives. This type of thinking is essential in any business environment and any type of counseling. Logical thinking is described as methodological thinking, problem solving and the ability to analyze the situation (Lurz, 2009). Human beings are one of the few species that are capable of logical thinking, it is skill that we are blessed with and cannot take for granted. Research has been conducted on animals such as chimpanzees to determine if other species of animals are capable of logical thinking. This type of thinking is essential in any work environment, especially in the field of psychology and counseling. As a person who has worked in the field of substance abuse, I understand the importance of logical thinking.

Who is a Logical Thinker?

A logical thinker can be described as someone who can clearly analyze the situation and generate alternative outcomes and different possibilities. A logical thinker "thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of though, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems; without being unduly influenced by others' thinking on the topic" (Wikepedia, 2010). This skill allows the individual to think of many possibilities and determine which solution would be best for the given problem.

Logical Thinking and Counseling

As an individual who have volunteered in different aspects of human services for many years, I have learned the importance of logical thinking. During my senior year of high school I volunteered in a substance abuse clinic, where logical thinking was essential. My duties at the clinic included making appointments for clients, playing games with clients who were detoxifying and other tasks as assigned to me. I have witnessed many incidents where the counselors were being tricked by the clients and many times where logical thinking prevailed with the counselors. Clients often tried to trick the volunteer such as myself into getting them drugs from the cabinets.

One of the most memorable moments of my employment at the substance abuse clinic is of a client, who I will refer to as Client A. Client A was a teenager, who tried to trick the counselor into thinking he was a model client and had quit drinking alcohol. Client A had a drinking problem and was brought to the clinic by his parents to help him stop drinking. He followed all of the requests made by his parents, stopped drinking, stop hanging out with the wrong crowd, attended the clinic meetings and followed the recommendations of the therapist. Client A was the model client; however it was all an act. He began drinking Coke; he would always have a bottle of coke in his hand or his pocket. He would mix the coke with alcohol, he drank openly and his parents were unaware of his drinking. Client A was unable to manipulate the therapist for long. The therapist noticed his behavior and looked at his eyes for dilation, where she then suspected his drinking and tested his coke. The therapist used her logical thinking to decipher that Client A was still drinking and discover exactly where the alcohol was hidden.

Another example of logical thinking was during my years as a school counselor. Many first year college students would get cold feet and decide to drop out of college, or change their minds on the first day of school. As a counselor it was my job to use logical thinking during my conversation with these students. I knew this fact, from past experience the first day is a very big day for these students. I would call them a week prior to the first day of school to ensure they were prepared and then call them on the first day to ensure they were on target. These preparations were logical thinking, and I knew these students would get cold feet and use simple things to prevent them from starting classes. I also used my thinking and analytical skills to determine if I needed to speak to the student after their first day of class, to give them some moral support. Logical thinking allowed me to predict how each student will react before and after class.